Unexpected Surprises
by Amelia Louisa
Summary: When Joey comes crashing back into Charlies life she brings with her a massive suprise, will Charlie embrace the new challenges that arise, or will she simply make another cock up in the ever growing list?
1. Chapter 1

A/N - Welcome to my new fic, this entire fic has been written in the last 7 hours, all 24 chapter of it, proof read this chapter to check i havent made any stupid sleep depriprived mistakes but i think i will have to proof read the rest after i have had a sleep... 

I dont think there is a CJ fic with this storyline, if so i havent found it yet, it is of course a CJ fic, although J doesnt come into it for a few chapters (i think chapter 3 but i wrote that chapter about 6 hours 50 mins ago, and iv written another 21 chapters since then so who knows!

Anyways, here is chapter one, i will attempt to post one chapter a day (unless there is a reason why i am no where near a computer) or unless a get unindated with reviews then i wil give you a bonus chapter... yep, you want the bonus chapters then your gonna have to work for them lol.

Right well, here is your chapter, let me know what your thinking... it gets better, well i think it does anyway... but let me know.

Enjoy and good morning to all of you!

AL x

Chapter One

Ruby lay in bed mulling over the events that had recently affected her previously normal life, she had gone from being a normal teenager living with her sister, to being a teenager living with her mother who had grown up as her sister because she was raped at the tender age of fourteen and wasn't fit to raise a child, being just a child herself. Now she was a teenager living with her mother who she had only a few weeks ago made amends with, having nightmares over her rapist father attacking them in some way, whilst Charlie lived in a dream world pretending none of it had ever happened as she planned her wedding with Angelo.

She still couldn't believe it, it was just over four months since Joey had left and all hell had broken loose for the Buckton family, in four months Angelo had proposed practically backing Charlie into a corner, Charlie had admitted in the midst of a midnight ice cream conference, that she only agreed to marry Angelo because she felt obliged to, after all, he had done so much for her, been there to support her and been her shoulder to cry on when many would have seen her as too much effort and walked away.

She had watched her mother hide more and more inside herself as each day passed, the closer to the wedding the more excited Angelo got and the more Charlie shut down her feelings and emotions, Ruby didn't even think Charlie realised she was doing it, she knew Charlie would do anything to get out of marrying her fellow officer, but she wouldn't break his heart, she knew how much Angelo cared for her, sure they had a rocky relationship, their arguments getting a lot more heated than Ruby had ever known before, but it was obvious Angelo loved and cared for Charlie.

After Angelo had announced their engagement to the entire town, Ruby had found Charlie sat on the wharf, looking sadly out to sea, she felt her heart break as she watched her, wondering what it would take to break Charlie from the spell she seemed to be under.

They had sat for hours discussing Charlie's feelings, Ruby had never witnessed Charlie open up so willingly to her, after the whole finding out Charlie had lied all her life to her thing, Ruby had forced her to promise there would be no more secrets between them, both had kept their side of the promise, although Charlie took a little more coaxing than Ruby did, but that night was something else, Charlie didn't need any coaxing, as if being relaxed by the ocean she poured her heart out to her daughter.

Ruby tried to remember what had turned the conversation to Joey, Charlie had allowed her tears to flow as she had admitted to still being in love with the brunette deck hand, she admitted that as each day passed she missed her more, feeling more lonely than she had ever felt before, or even imagined possible. Charlie had even admitted how depressed she had become after Joey's departure and how closely she had considered ending it all.

That thought sent a shiver through Ruby's spine, imagining just finding her mother even though she was right under her nose only to lose her instantly. At times their relationship was difficult, It was hard for both of them to draw the line between acting like sisters and acting like mother and daughter, but after a month or so of trying, they had found some kind of happy medium between them that suited them both, they were closer than ever before, their bond growing as their relationship bloomed.

Ruby glanced at the clock noticing that it was two minutes to eight in the morning, she grinned as she realised what that meant, throwing her quilt back off the bed and grabbing her towel she hoped to reach the bathroom before Charlie or Leah.

Today was the day they were setting off for the big city, in a bid to cheer Charlie up, Ruby as chief bridesmaid had organised a small road trip to the city and a weekend of fun and frolics with their friends, Charlie was aware of the residents of Summer Bay that were joining them, she also knew that a few of her old pals from the city were joining them, she didn't realise how much thought and consideration Ruby had put into the event, making sure that every person that mattered would be there with smiles on their faces.

She had pulled out all the stops, calling everyone she knew from Charlie's past in the city to get involved and meet them, hoping seeing a few friendly old faces would be just the thing to cheer Charlie up before she threw her life away. Ruby had spent over a fortnight planning things in precision, she had hotel rooms booked for all the Summer Bay group, limo's hired to take them and pick them up from town, she had organised a minibus and talked Rachel into driving, with her breast feeding she couldn't drink too much anyway so she had agreed willingly.

She had even arranged for a stripper, hoping that all her efforts would boost her mother's moral slightly, who knew, there may even be someone in the city that would sweep her off her feet and put an end to her misery. There was nothing like hoping, she really wished that Charlie could just find someone that made her happy and that she could love and who would love her in return, despite all her baggage.

She sighed as the thought about Joey, she changed her mind, she really wished that Charlie could find someone that made her happy, that she could love and she could know instantly that if she messed it up she would be the biggest idiot going and that she would lose everything she ever dreamt of…. She also wished that she would realise that before she made the damn mistake and messed things up.

Ruby grinned when she heard Charlie banging on the door loudly swearing towards her, Ruby giggled softly which only caused to irritate Charlie further as the bangs became louder and the profanities became stronger and more often.

"What do you want Charlie! I'm showering" Ruby yelled through the door, she loved how grumpy Charlie seemed on a morning, she never used to be, she was always a morning person, up before the crack of dawn and running circles around her little sister, but with their relationship changing, so had Charlie.

"I need the toilet" Charlie yelled through the door grumpily.

"It's unlocked you idiot, try the handle next time" Ruby called out as she heard the door open mid sentence.

She laughed as she heard Charlie sigh contently once her bladder had began to empty.

"Does that feel good Charlz?" Ruby grinned as she popped her head around the shower curtain, laughing when she saw Charlie's grumpy glare being thrown at her.

"Morning sunshine, not had your coffee yet?" Ruby beamed at her as she received another scowl. She quickly washed her hands, making a rude gesture at Ruby and leaving the room with a few grumbling sounds

"Ill have jam on my toast thanks sunshine" Ruby giggled as the door slammed and she heard Charlie muttering about her being too bloody cheerful that it wasn't normal.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N - Ok well here is chapter two being posted after actually getting some sleep!

So i have to admit from proof reading that i dont actually like the first two chapter, but the rest of the fic i think you will enjoy, the first suprise happens in this chapter, well a suprise for Charlie anyway, but the next chapter will be the suprise for the readers - i think you will all be a little shocked and well... suprised.

Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter and especially to those who reviewed. Let me know what you think to this chapter, but dont give up on it yet, its a slow starter - but its going to get good really soon - promise.

Here it is then, enjoy and R&R pretty please :) AL x

Chapter Two

"Oh come on Charlie!" Martha moaned as Charlie watched the rest of the group laughing and drinking champagne as they waited for various members of the group to arrive in the bar.

"I'm here and I'm dressed… that's the best your going to get out of me" Charlie whined, she really couldn't be bothered with going out and getting drunk, but Ruby had begged her to let her organise a hen night and she had gone to what looked to be a lot of effort.

"Sorry guys, I guess we have senior constable grump with us tonight" Ruby giggled when she caught Charlie's scowl.

"Hey you! You're never too old to be grounded young lady!" Charlie mocked her as she lifted her glass of champagne and downed it in one, dropping it delicately to the table to a round of applause, what was the harm in letting her hair down for once and enjoying herself for her daughter's sake.

"Uh Oh, party Charlie has entered the building" Ruby giggled as she poured the almost clear liquid into the glass for her mother.

"Here's to a night that's all about the ladies!" Leah called out as she raised her glass, she was followed by the rest of the group who sipped and cheered.

As the limo pulled away, Ruby joined the group of friends stood eyeing the pubs and clubs surrounding them like they were pieces of candy. With a grin she linked arms with Charlie and nodded her head towards the nearest club.

"Right guys, we have until four to show this city what Summer Bay ladies are made of!" Ruby giggled as the other's cheered, everyone but Charlie in full party mode, but at least she was making the effort, that was all that counted.

Charlie was stunned when she entered the second floor of the club to be surrounded by endless faces she knew, the floor hadn't been hired out exclusively but Ruby had told everyone to meet on the second floor for ten o'clock in hope that seeing so many familiar faces and well wishers would cheer her mother up slightly.

Charlie glanced around as she tried to place each face, there was old friends from school, people she attended the police academy with, old colleuges from her last station in the city, cousins and aunties she hadn't seen for years, even a few second cousins she hadn't met yet who had made the effort to be there for her. She couldn't contain her grin when she saw a bunch of her old city girl friends stood near the bar smiling over at her, when she had left the city for summer bay she had gradually lost touch with them all, yet here they were to help her celebrate.

She turned and pulled Ruby into a hug, moving her mouth close to her ear, she whispered delicately "Rubes, you are the best daughter a girl could wish for; I love you, thank you so much for this!" When she pulled back she saw the intensity of Ruby's beam, causing her own smile to grow, maybe tonight wouldn't be such a train wreck after all, Charlie thought.

Charlie sat at the large tabled area the staff of the club had pieced together after Ruby had informed them that she was planning a large gathering there, she looked out at a mixture of her friends dancing and laughing together, people she would never have imagined being in the same room getting on like a house on fire, she found it surreal, but it was nice!

She couldn't help but giggle a little when she heard Michael Jackson's Billie Jean begin to play, followed closely by her daughter strutting her stuff on the dance floor, her moves Jackoesque yet slightly more deranged than his, amusingly was the sheer amount of adults that saw her moves and followed suit, each putting their own twist on the cult moves.

The music in the club had been perfect, nothing too heavy or too trashy, a few hours had easily passed as Charlie loosened up a little and got into the mood, all thoughts of the wedding had been pushed to the far recesses of her mind as she enjoyed the moment being surrounded by the friends she had made over the years.

A roar of displeasure erupted as the music cut out in the middle of Kylie's 'Cant get you outta my head', glancing around the room slightly inebriated Charlie noticed Ruby's knowing and cheeky grin being aimed at her, with a sense of dread Charlie decided to bolt to the toilets.

Spinning around she found herself face to face with a black t-shirt, glancing up she found a smile from a towering position, the bouncer took her arm lightly and led her into the centre of the dance floor and towards a chair that had almost magically appeared.

With the sense of dread increasing Charlie groaned as a police uniform approached her, she felt her heart race increase in embarrassment as she realised that her daughter hadn't stopped at just organising all her friends, but had also organised a female stripper for her. Her face flushes as she wonders how the hell she is going to get out of this one.

Before she can flee the situation she finds herself practically straddled by a half naked woman dancing exotically in time with the music, the crowd around her cheer and try to coax her into getting in on the act, completely embarrassed and not knowing where to look, the elder Buckton tries to seek out Ruby's gaze to tell her politely to get the act cut short.

Charlie's breath catches in her throat as a short brunette walks past the dance floor carrying a stack of glasses, her mind spiralled out of control as the stripper and her friends faded into the background, her eyes followed the brunette, pleading with her to turn around and show her face, she knew that figure, it had changed slightly but she would know it anywhere.

As the show finished Charlie jumped from her seat almost in a dream like state, rushing to the bar where she last saw the figure before she disappeared. She glanced around hoping to catch sight of the woman once more. After a few moments and no sign of a female behind the bar, Charlie shook her head at herself.

_'Well what were you expecting Charlie, that Joey would magically appear and fix this mess you have made'_

Shaking her head at herself in embarrassment, She caught the eye of the nearest bar tender and ordered another round of cocktails to be delivered to her table, with a heavy heart she returned to her friends and laughed politely at their jokes hoping that no body would notice the disappointment on her face.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N - Well here is chapter 3, here comes the suprise for you guys lol.

Tish - i cant help it, i get on a roll and i cant stop lol

Paperheart - You wont have to wait long for your first suprise, enjoy!

CJLuv - Grumpy Charlie... me on a morning... not much difference really lol.

1818 - You cant have been waiting long lol, Indiana Jones HA HA Haaaaa your so funny, did i tell you we have added "i love you baby" to the mix now... just the bit that goes da da. da da. da da dum dum, da da da da da daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa i love you baby! and generally only whilst drunk... how old is Ruby? didnt you know you should never ask a lady her age?

Mellbell86 - Hmmm... guess we will have to wait and see if was Jo... think you might be onto something but we will see :)

JSCO - Hey Bud, long time no speak! She will get a suprise, it will be unexpected though... hey maybe thats what i should have called the fic lol, hope things are good with you xx

Right here ya go... enjoy and please R&R.. (Esp 1818 & AJ... pull your fingers out!)

Chapter Three

An hour had passed since Charlie had dreamt she had seen Joey, her heart had lifted a little as the drinks flowed more freely, the jokes became louder, funnier and more outrageous and the dancing became even more embarrassing.

The elder Buckton glanced around the room, enjoying seeing her old and new friends getting along so well, her eye line fell on Ruby who motioned to bar for another round.

With an eager nod from Charlie who had given up trying to talk to anyone over the volume of the music, Ruby rushed to the bar almost desperate to make sure Charlie had the best night she could as the night began to close down a little, the volume lowered as the songs became slower.

Ruby swiftly returned to the seated area to find Charlie in an animated conversation with a few of her old Academy buddies, as Charlie laughed with embarrassment Ruby nudged into the seat next to her to listen to one of the many tales that this particular group had of a young Charlie getting drunk and the many, many antics she got up to.

"So Charlie here decides that she wasn't going to let this woman get away with that and pours an entire jug of cocktail over her head, I swear to god the whole place fell into silence as we waited with bated breath to see what this bitch would do next… she turned around to Charlie, ready to give her a mouth full and punch her… that was until she saw the thirty or so friends stood behind her and scampered off with her tail between her legs like a wet dog… needless to say she never tried to kiss Charlie's boyfriend again!" the raven haired woman giggled as the group erupted into laughter, shocked that their friend would do such a thing.

"Charlie you didn't!" Ruby gasped in shock at her mother who sat quietly looking innocent.

"Well she tried to kiss my boyfriend right in front of me, she was lucky it was just one jug" Charlie shrugged with a mischievous grin causing the group to giggle.

As the drinks continued to be emptied, Charlie relaxed more and more, enjoying the memories that were being discussed between groups who seemed to shock the group more than the last story.

As the round of drinks were brought to the table Charlie eyed the attractive brunette bar tender wondering if this was the woman that caught her eye earlier in the night, as the woman spun around to hand more drinks out Charlie allowed her eyes to roam over the backside before her. She blanched with a blush as she noticed Ruby's knowing look, quickly tearing her eyes away and pretending to be listening to the next story.

"Sorry guys, we missed a drink from your order" a soft voice was interrupted by Charlie's hand as she waved it to fend off a story from her last precinct that she knew she didn't want Ruby to hear.

"Oh god I'm sooooo sorry" Charlie gasped as she spun around to apologise to her victim when she froze. Silence engulfed the table as all the guests from Summer Bay gasped, the other guests silenced in confusion and excitement as to what everyone was so shocked about.

In front of Charlie stood the shorter brunette that made her heart cease to beat and explode into palpitations at the same time, Joey looked as stunning as ever, her beauty almost winding Charlie, Charlie knew that the moment their eyes met she could have lost herself in them for an eternity, had her eye line not quickly been drawn to Joey's bump.

Joey stood silently as she stared at Charlie with a pale face, her eyes flickered a few times as Joey forced her mind to stop playing tricks on her, checking and double checking that every time her eye lids opened Charlie was still in front of her and it wasn't a dream.

The smash of a glass from behind the bar pulled Joey back into the room with a jolt, turning on her heel Joey headed for the bar desperate to get to the safety of the back room and tell the boss that she didn't feel well so she could escape the building and Charlie.

"Joey wait…. Joey… Jo quit running away from me!" Charlie yelled as she snapped from her own daze and ran after the love of her life, grabbing her forearms softly she spun the woman around, falling instantly into her eyes.

"wait" Charlie mumbled feebly as she fought herself to not lose control as her entire soul begged her to not let go of Joey, to keep hold of her and tell her all the things she should have said four months ago before it was too late, but instead she stood silently, gazing longingly into the chocolate pools, searching for any sign of love or hate, instead all she found was panic as Joey attempted to struggle from her clutch.

"Joey, wait, what are you doing here?" Charlie asked eventually finding her voice and wincing when she heard her pain echo obviously in it.

"I would ask the same of you but I think that would be asking the obvious, I'm glad your happy Charlie, congratulations" Joey almost spat out angrily at her, determined to not allow Charlie Buckton to see how much hurt her moving on so quickly caused, but Charlie knew it wasn't anger spilling over Joey's soft lips, the golden tint to her eyes told Charlie all she needed to know.

She knew those eyes too well, those were the same eyes that had described Robbo's assault on the beach that day, the same eyes that described it again in the station after Joey had taken solace in Charlie's protection and concern, the same eyes she had seen the day Robbo had tried to steal the younger girl away from her, the same eyes that had bore a hole in her soul as she saw them drifting away out of sight on the trawler, the golden glint to the eyes could only mean that Joey was hurting.

"Joey, I don't know what to say, things got a little crazy after you left, I don't even know how I got here…" Charlie trailed off as her excuse sounded weak to even herself but she knew she needed to say something, anything to break the silence.

"Save it Charlie, its none of my business what you do anymore, like I said congratulations, I hope you live a long happy life together" The pain in Joey's voice cut through Charlie's heart like a blade, tears began to form in the eyes that Charlie loved so much breaking her heart as she realised once more she had caused pain to the woman she had loved from the moment they met, even if she hadn't realised it at the time.

"Joey… please… just let me explain" Charlie tried again but stopped feebly as Joey's eyes turned from gold to a colour that could easily be defined as more black than brown, that colour meant that Joey was angry… a colour that Charlie had only seen a handful of times.

"There is nothing to explain Charlie… your getting married… you moved on from me and that's just fine by me… I never loved you anyway" Joey snapped trying to convince herself more than Charlie, anything to stop the pain and anger from jealousy and betrayal that rushed through her veins as she stood staring into the deep blue pools she never imagined staring at again. The colour shift in Charlie's eyed told Joey that her words had wounded her, her heart skipped a beat as compassion rushed through her, desperate to take away the pain she had caused the beautiful woman she had loved for what felt like forever.

"That obvious hey? Well from where I'm standing it looks like it didn't take you long to get over me either … so who's the lucky guy?" Charlie almost spat back allowing her anger to brim over, anger which was mainly directed at herself for she knew she had no one but herself to blame for what had happened to them but the thought of Joey being with somebody else ripped through her soul.

"What are you talking about!" Joey demanded angrily, wondering what gave Charlie the right to judge her and demand information from her.

"The baby, who's the father, didn't take you long… I mean you look a few months pregnant… so who's the father?" Charlie asked almost pointedly, her walls quickly erecting around her, knowing if she put on her farce she would be less likely to get her heart broken all over again by the only person able to get near to her heart.

"I don't think that's any of your business really do you?" Joey glared back at her, all the anger from the past year rushing through her at that moment as Charlie stood arrogantly before her demanding information from her.

"Fine… you know what? don't tell me, congratulations to you aswell, I hope your little family is happy" turning on her heel Charlie stormed back to the table, her face warning off any of her friends from asking or commenting about what had just happened.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N- Well there is an awful lot of guessing going on...!

Mellbell86 - Hmmm good guessing so far, but will you be right on who the father is? Maybe the suprise is Charlie affected Jo that much she hooked up with a guy three times her age called Jim and is now having his love child? think of that possibility?

Movie249 - Hey Hun! nice to see you! Thanks for the review, glad your enjoying it :)

JSCO- Always such a charmer... here is another chap that i hope you find just as interesting xx

CJ4EVA - Nice to see you catching up and reviewing as you do, i did consider the stripper being Jo but i really dont think once she had realised she would have gone through with it... Pretty much in the same time scale yes... like i said its a possibility, but not the only possibility, you will have to read this chapter to find out... maybe! lol

Well here it is, Chapter Four... i hope you all enjoy it, dont forget to R&R and let me know whether you loved it or hated it...

AL xx

Chapter Four

Sulking at the table and drowning her sorrows, Charlie Buckton neglected to notice that her daughter had slipped away from the awkward silence that surrounded the once lively party. Ruby knew that by rights she should stay and support her mother, but right now her mind was focussed on Joey Collin's return to their lives as she followed her into the toilets she had moments previously escaped into.

Before she had even finished entering the room she heard the sobs of a broken woman, rounding the corner she found Joey sat on a toilet cubicle with the door abandoned and ajar.

Without a word, Ruby rushed forward and dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms protectively around her friend and soothing her in the best way that she could, many minutes had passed before Joey's sobs finally dissipated through Ruby's gentle rocking.

When the sobs eventually stopped Ruby leant back onto her toes softly and smiled sadly at the woman she never imagined seeing again.

"Fancy bumping into you and in a place like this!" Joey couldn't help but smile back at the younger girl who obviously still cared about her, _shame her sister doesn't though_ Joey thought angrily, it hurt less to be angry.

"Yeah fancy, I work here" Joey admitted sadly with a sniffle.

"What happened to the trawler thing, did it not work out?" Ruby asked sadly genuinely caring and not trying to gain gossip for the others who she knew would ask later at some point, but right now her full focus was on the woman in front of her.

"This happened" Joey sadly pointed to the bump as a fresh batch of tears rushed to her eyes, she smiled thankfully as Ruby returned to rubbing her hand softly over Joey's arm, soothing her slightly.

"Yeah, there's a turn for the unexpected, how far along are you?" Ruby asked, placing her hand softly on the bump, smiling when she felt the fluttering beneath it, she glanced up at Joey hoping that she was ok with her assumed contact, Joey smiled softly at her, happy that there was no maliciousness in her eyes only concern.

"5 months" Joey practically whispered, sensing that Joey didn't want to talk about it Ruby changed the subject quickly.

"Well, seen as you're here now, why don't you come out and have a drink with us, I know Leah and the others would love to say hi… well have a soft drink" Ruby smiled hopefully knowing that the once deck hand had been missed by more than just Charlie.

"I don't think that's a very good idea, Charlie and I just went head to head, I don't want to ruin the occasion any more than I already have" Joey felt her heart break as she remembered what the occasion was and what it meant.

"Its your choice, but just so you know, this is all a charade, Charlie isn't happy, she's literally being forced into a marriage she doesn't want and doesn't know how to get out of, this whole weekend was just my way of trying to cheer her up and show her that the world didn't end when you sailed away" Ruby admitted to Joey who watched her intently with interest.

"What do you mean?" Joey asked not sure if she had heard the youngster correctly or if she had misunderstood what she had said.

"I mean that Charlie is still in love with you, when you left it broke her heart, Angelo came along at the right time offering her comfort and support which was two things she was desperate for, a few months later he's proposing and Charlie cant get herself to admit to him that she doesn't love him, she thinks she owes it to him to go through with this whole stupid thing, its you that she loves though, always has" Ruby smiled softly, hoping that if she explained it to her instead of Charlie doing it, it may make more sense and she would pay attention instead of brushing it off as excuses.

"I don't think so, Charlie never loved me" Joey replied bitterly.

"Your wrong Jo, there is a lot of things I have learnt about Charlie recently, a lot of secrets have come out but there is one thing I have never doubted even when I lost my entire trust in her, you're the only one for her, you're the reason she was born, you're the reason she breaths, she's just so misguided and messed up she doesn't know how to face the truth and she's too scared that she will mess it up once she has it" Ruby smiled at Joey knowing that she would understand that more than anything else.

"What secrets?" Joey asked suddenly after a moment of silence.

"Err… that's probably best left for Charlz to explain, just wash your face, get rid of those puffy eyes, grab a drink and come and join us, please?" Ruby pulled her pleading face that she knew Joey wouldn't be able to resist.

"Fine, give me ten minutes and I will be over, just don't expect me to be nice to her, its not going to happen, too much has happened for that" Joey warned slightly, Ruby nodded thankfully before leaving the toilet to check on Charlie.

Walking straight up to her mother she wrapped her arms around her from behind, Charlie jumped slightly at the contact. "You ok mum?" Ruby asked softly, knowing that if she said the M word Charlie couldn't lie to her.

"Yeah I guess, just shocked… she's pregnant Rubes… there was me feeling like the biggest shit in the world for what I did and all the time it was a total lie" she reached behind her and pulled Ruby onto her knee so she could hug her properly.

"I don't think so, after that little reunion she was pretty shook up y'know" Ruby admitted sadly as she stroked Charlie's hair soothingly.

"I figured that's where you must have disappeared too… is she ok? I know it's none of my business to care anymore but… is she ok?" Charlie asked sadly, she wanted it to be her business so desperately but she had Angelo and Joey was starting a family with somebody else, all hope of their reunion ever happening no matter how little the chances had been before had now been slashed.

"Yeah, she will be fine, just to warn you she is going to come over and have a drink with us, I thought it would be nice, you don't mind do you?" Ruby asked nervously, knowing Charlie wouldn't mind but not wanting things to kick off into a huge fight between them.

"I guess I can't say anything, I can only be happy for her, I mean she's going to make a wonderful mother, I always thought our kids would be lucky to have her as a mother…" Charlie stopped talking when she realised what she had openly admitted to her daughter.

"Its ok shhh… Jo would have made a wonderful step mother too… but don't focus on the past, if you really love her just be happy for her, allow her to move on and be happy, surely if you love her that's all you want for her… happiness" Ruby spoke wisely, seeing the pain on Charlie's face at speaking of Joey being happy without her broke her own heart.

"Yeah I guess, I just wish…"

"I know, me too…"

"How far along is she, did she tell you if the father made her happy or not?" Charlie asked quietly not sure if she wanted to hear the answer to the latter.

"She never mentioned the father, maybe she thought it would be weird talking about him to me… she's five months though, got a good kick too" Ruby smiled softly at Charlie, begging her with her eyes to just let it go and be happy. Suddenly Charlie's face paled, she almost gagged as the pain crossed her eyes.

"Charlie what is it, too much to drink?" Ruby asked worriedly seeing the sudden colour change on her mothers face.

"Joey left four months ago, roughly a month before that I met her… if the math adds up that can only mean one thing… the father is…"

__

A/N - Sorry couldnt resist lol - youll have to wait till chapter five before i confirm if your right or not... which i will give you as soon as there is five reviews... mean arnt i lol xx

p.s. Thanks to those who informed that the chapter was on the page twice, your gems xx


	5. Chapter 5

A/N- I wasnt expecting 5 reviews to come in so quickly! Thanks very much and thanks also to all those reading and not reviewing x

MellBell - I have to admit, Joey broke Jim's heart, he wanted her and their love child but Joey just couldnt be with him, im sorry, i hope it hasnt ruined the fic for you? Well here is your answer... but how is Charlie going to react to finding out Jo is in the same situation she was? ooooooooooohhh!

Gigi - Thanks, here you go, as requested :)

Bethers - Here ya go seen as you asked so nicely, good guessing... wonder how you will fair on the other suprises though... hmmmm maybe we should have a point system going lol.

1818 - 99? what like the icecream? YUM! There is always a bright side, its normally the opposite of the dark side and we all know how much you LOVE star wars... so basically what your saying is... that Joey is the modern Virgin Mary, she is carrying the new saviour and Charlie is trying to be a modern day Joseph? is there an ark in this story of yours? maybe a guy called david and his arch nemesis the giant... seriously mate... time to quit your day job! LnL!

Ok here is Chap 5... im going to go with 6 reviews before you get your next chapter... starting NOW

Enjoy, AL x

Chapter Five

"Robbo… you're too good at your job you know" Joey smiled sadly as she sat next to Charlie, overhearing the end of their conversation.

"I'm a complete arsehole aren't I?" Charlie asked to which Joey nodded with an amused smile causing the three girls to laugh softly.

"I can't say I disagree… you're defiantly an arsehole" Joey grinned cheekily, almost relieved that the tension felt like it was being lifted from the air.

"So how are… is everything… are you…" Charlie didn't know how to ask, or even what she really wanted to ask.

"I am fine, the baby is fine, it was a lot to come to terms with but… its an amazing thing to come out of a bad situation right… that's what I keep telling myself anyway" Joey smiled softly as she sipped her chilled water.

Charlie sat stunned, every muscle in her body begged her to tell Joey she knew exactly how she felt and that everything would be ok, but as the words formed in her mind, her mouth refused to play ball. After several moments of silence Joey placed her glass on the table.

"Right, I better head back behind the bar, only an hour to go and I'm free" Joey smiled cheekily.

"Come back for another drink once you're finished?" Charlie begged, she knew she was begging but for Joey it didn't matter, she would beg Joey for anything.

"I dunno… it's a little…"

"Please Jo, just one more drink after your shift?" Charlie begged again, her face duplicating Ruby's from the bathroom, something which wasn't lost on Joey and caused a soft grin.

"Well who could say no to that face? I will see you in an hour or so" Both women grinned almost dreamily at each other before Joey grabbed a few glasses and forced herself to head back to the bar and do some work.

Ruby watched on with interest as Charlie truly smiled for the first time since Joey had left, sure she had smiled but this was a true smile, one that lit up her beautiful features and caused her eyes to shimmer, as Joey moved out of view, the smile weakened but the soft glow in Charlie's eyes remained.

Ruby continued watching her mother over the next hour as she tried to hold conversations with her friends, as the night dwindled on numerous people left leaving just a few party people and the residents of summer bay, who were determined to enjoy their one and only night for a while of city partying. Ruby watched with interest as Charlie's entire face lit up every time she caught a glance at Joey. Nobody had dared to ask who the woman was after witnessing their argument, only assuming that if Charlie wanted them to know they would tell her.

"Right guys, I'm off duty… why are you all sitting here, I was told this was a party… dance floors this way" Joey grinned grabbing Ruby's hand and dragging her to the dance floor and two of Joey's friends carried over a tray each with more cocktails.

As if in relief that the party mood was back a conga essence train followed the women giggling onto the dance floor leaving behind just Charlie and Leah who smiled tiredly and drunkenly at each other before laughing at the terrible moves Joey was quickly teaching Ruby.

"You still love her don't you" Leah smiled knowingly as she called over to Charlie sure that nobody else would hear.

"Am I that obvious?" Charlie groaned as she threw Leah a frown who nodded with a smile. "Great, do you think she knows?" Charlie asked sadly not wanting to make a bad situation any worse.

"She would have to be blind, but what are you going to do, you have Angelo and she's pregnant, are you ready to have a pot noodle family?" Leah asked concerned that her friend's life could quickly spiral out of control after she had worked so hard to get it back in order.

"A what?" Charlie asked confused as she sipped her 'Sex on the Beach'.

"You know… pot noodle… just add water and the family is ready" Leah grinned when Charlie laughed softly at her and shook her head in amusement.

"Thing is Leah, it works both ways, do you honestly think after dealing with having a child to the man who brutally raped you, you would be ready to take on a teenage daughter from the same conception?" Charlie asked sadly, wondering how she always got herself into this mess and how she would explain her situation to Joey, or if Joey even cared anymore.

"There is only one person who can answer that, and she is calling us over, come on… forget about the heavy stuff tonight and just enjoy the night, you can work everything else out tomorrow" Leah grinned as she grabbed Charlie's hand and pulled her onto the dance floor.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N- Well guys what can i say, obviously Sunday is a day for reviewing! As promised, i will keep my side of the bargain, 6 reviews for chapter 6... well done!

118118- What can i say to you, other than you inspire me...

Paperheart - Lol, but were the suprises unexpected?

CJ4Eva - Good guess work! Here is your next chapter, dont worry CJ may get some alone time yet, but will it all end happily?

Bethers - Hmmm... we will have to wait and see for that one wont we... if Charlie even tells her...

AJ - Thanks for single handidly giving enough reviews so i would have to post again... your a true gem lol. what is she doing with Risotto? drama of course! ok i wont tell you it's Robbo's i will let you read on and find out yourself! Oh you found out... may as well tell you, its Robbo's!

Right well, here is the next installment, lets keep this game going, 7 reviews required for chapter 7 lol... wonder how long this will last!

Enjoy AL x

Chapter Six

"Well it was great seeing you all again" Joey smiled as they exited the club after having twenty minutes more than they should have due to Joey's influence behind the bar.

"Your not going home yet are you Jo?" Ruby whined drunkenly and slightly adorably.

"Yeah I'm going home Rubes, it's late" Joey grinned as Ruby threw herself at the slightly taller brunette and hugged her tightly.

"But I don't want you too" Ruby whined liked a child.

"But I have to, if I don't leave soon I'm going to miss the last bus… but it really has been great catching up" she felt a little sad that the night was having to draw to a close, although she would never admit it aloud, she was enjoying Charlie and Ruby's company too much.

"Ok…. We will make a deal" Charlie ordered with a slur.

"Right-o" Joey giggled a little at seeing Charlie so drunk.

"You, little lady, are coming in the limo with us, on the basis of you have a night cap with us, then I will pay for a taxi to take you home, ok? Good! Let's go!" Charlie walked off in the general direction of the limousine that was sat waiting patiently for them, without giving Joey any chance to argue or even agree.

"Guess I'm getting a lift" Joey raised her eyebrows in amusement at Ruby who giggled and linked arms, pulling her in the direction of the limo.

After a hectic drive back to the hotel involving a lot of singing and cheering, the summer bay group found themselves in the bar with a round of more adult drinks.

"Here's to Ruby, who will be planning all hen nights, birthdays, weddings and nights out in future and for booking a hotel with a 24 hour bar!" Leah announced with a hiccup causing the group to laugh.

The group downed their drinks as Charlie ordered another round and sweetly asked for iced water for the designated adult causing a giggle.

"I'm pregnant not an adult, although after seeing some of the stuff you lot have been getting up to tonight, I guess I am the only adult here" Joey giggled, glad to be part of the party regardless of what the party was for.

Several rounds and an hour later the group had dwindled leaving Charlie, Ruby, Leah and Joey who were now sprawled out over two sofa's in the bar giggling over stories of what had happened in Summer Bay since Joey had departed.

"Right girls, there is a bottle of champers in the room with our names on it, come on" Ruby grinned as the others rolled their eyes at her stamina for alcohol.

"I best be heading home" Joey stood up, a little saddened that the evening was over, she had actually enjoyed herself which she wasn't expecting on Charlie's hen night to someone else, not that she had ever imagined being in that situation.

"Oh Jo, don't be a prude, one teeny tiny glass of champers with us isn't going to hurt the baby, come on…." Ruby demanded pulling Joey from the sofa and towards the lift.

Joey helped a worse for wear Ruby to the room whilst Charlie and Leah helped each other, Joey couldn't contain her laughs as the three of them began singing loudly causing an old woman to pop her head out the door and ask them a little too impolitely to "keep the noise down".

Joey apologised trying to quieten the women as they got louder, she grabbed Ruby's key and pushed the three of them into the room before throwing the woman an apologetic look, receiving a frown and a shake of the head in disgust as she followed them in.

Ruby staggered to the TV on flicked on the music channel instantly finding her favourite song of the moment and began dancing around the room while Charlie poured some glasses of champagne, pouring just an inch for Joey she handed it to her with a smile.

"I'm glad you're here Jo, I missed ya sooo much" Charlie grinned drunkenly.

"I missed you more though Jo" Ruby grinned as she stumbled to the floor causing the others to laugh at her, with a pout she climbed up and attempted to straighten her dress before grabbing Leah and forcing her to dance with her.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N- Seriously guys at this rate your gonna have this fic finished by the end of the week lol! 7 Reviews so here is chapter 7!

AJ- Patience is a virtue y'know! You know i cant count! Rubes with a hangover... i wonder, you know some people can drink in moderation and not cause 48 hour hangovers...;) youve got a feeling (wooooooooooooo hoooooooooo) i wonder if your right *btw for the woo hoo to not be random, think black eyed peas lol*

Chester-Sam - I can relate too! Glad you got three to wake up to! lucky so and so..

1818- good-o, again i ask... who turned off the lights? god im funny! it hurts to actually be THIS funny... y'know what i mean FATS?

Paperheart - 1. im so glad that you were suprised by the unexpected suprises... 2. 30STM Rule the world... cant wait for 4th of December, 2nd time i will have seen them this yeah (got on stage with them the 1st time so hoping to do it again) and hoping to get some last minute tickets for the 27th of November... gotta love 30stm!

MellBell - yours was 6th... soooooo close! whats left to come out of the bag? that would be telling wouldnt it lol. Here is your more you wanted, hope its to satisfaction!

JSCO- lucky number 7! Who said Joey is going to be back in Charlies life? maybe thats the biggest suprise of all ;)

Well here you go... game is back on, 8 reviews for the next chapter... although bare in mind im gonna have to sleep tonight and will be out all day tomorrow until the evening so if its not before midnight UK time you will get your chap after 6pm uk time tomorrow... any how... will charlie confess her love, will joey confess her love... do they even love each other anymore? who knows, well i do but im not telling you so to find out your just gonna have to Read & Review :)

Enjoy!

AL x

Chapter Seven

An hour after the bottle of champagne had been popped; Leah and Ruby had crashed on Leah's double bed. Charlie had laughed when she left the toilet and noticed them cuddled into each other adorably; she dropped herself onto the sofa and smiled at Joey, glad that by some miracle she had managed to spend hours with the woman she adored.

Joey grinned back at her with a slight laugh "You always were an amusing drunk Charlie Buckton" she giggled when Charlie pouted.

"I'm not drunk, I'm just happy" Charlie announced causing Joey to laugh.

"Is that so… I'm glad your happy Charlie, you deserve to be happy" Joey smiled over at Charlie whose eyes were beginning to close against Charlie's will.

"Of course I'm happy, you're here… what more could I want but you" Charlie soothed softly and finished with a contented sigh.

"If only" Joey mouthed to her self, standing to her feet, she grabbed Charlie's hands and tried to lift her up; she called her name causing Charlie's eyes to open quickly.

"I wasn't sleeping, I was just thinking" Charlie stated as she grinned at Joey noticing their hands entwined.

"Come on sleepy, time for bed" Joey announced, smirking when she saw the flirtatious grin cross Charlie's face as the suggestion.

"I don't think so Buckton, come on help me get you onto the bed" Joey smiled at her, wondering why Charlie could still melt her heart so much.

"I will but only if you promise me one thing first" Charlie's face straightened as she looked seriously at Joey for the first time since their discussion about Robbo earlier in the evening.

"What's that?" Joey asked nervously, wondering what Charlie was about to ask of her.

"You stay here the night, I don't want you wandering the streets alone, it's not safe at this time of night" Charlie stated, almost soberly and very seriously.

"I only live around the corner Charlie, it will take me five minutes to walk there" Joey stated, a soft smile playing on her lips that Charlie still cared about her safety so much.

"I don't care, I don't want you walking around alone out there, I would never forgive myself if something happened to you, and I just want you to be safe and happy" Charlie smiled, her drunkenness retuning with full force.

"Ok if it will shut you up and get you onto the bed, I will stay, but just because I don't want you worrying…ok?" Joey stated, she couldn't stop the grin that spread when Charlie did a little victory dance and punched the air triumphantly.

"Come on then Collins, take me to bed" Charlie grinned broadly causing Joey to laugh.

"Don't be getting any idea's Buckton!" Joey stated seriously, rolling her eyes when Charlie grinned back at her cheekily, she helped Charlie under the covers, moving to the other side of the bed she got under herself, lying on her back she looked up at the ceiling hoping she wasn't making a mistake.

"Jo?" Charlie asked softly into the pitch blackness of the room caused by Joey extinguishing the lights.

"Yeah?" Joey replied softly, not sure whether she wanted Charlie to confess her undying love for her or whether she wanted her to just tell her that she was happy with her life.

"I really miss you" Charlie murmured softly, the exhaustion fogged her voice making it obvious to Joey that she was practically asleep.

"But I'm right here, how can you miss me when I'm here" Joey laughed softly as Charlie grunted in her sleep, Charlie wasn't the soundest of sleepers, as well as talking, she had known her to snore on the odd occasion too, but she found it cute instead of annoying and irritating as others would.

"But I miss you… everyday" Charlie muttered after a few moments of silence.

"I know… I miss you too" Joey replied sadly, Charlie's breathing had deepened, she guessed she had fallen asleep finally, she felt a little awkward laying next to her but she couldn't resist the urge to smile at the fact she was laid in bed with Charlie once more, no matter how friendly and amicable it was, she was still laid next to the love of her life.

"Maybe I didn't treat you quite as good as I should have" Charlie whispered softly causing Joey's heart to thump hard against her chest at the admission.

"Maybe I didn't love you quite as often as I should have" Charlie's voice got a little louder, the words coming out to a slight tune which Joey recognised a little.

"Little things I should have said and done I just never took the time" her voice got louder as Joey realised what she was singing, it caused a smile of pure adoration to erupt onto her face, she wasn't sure whether Charlie was awake or not.

"You were always on my mind" Charlie sang loudly causing Joey to laugh at her, hearing Joey's laugh Charlie turned softly so she was facing Joey, her eyes still closed tightly, she lifted her hand and settled it on Joey's chest, smiling as she felt her heart beating in the palm of her hand.

She nuzzled her face into her shoulder, sighing softly as she inhaled Joey's scent. "You are always on my mind" She whispered carefully, just loud enough for Joey to hear before she drifted into her peaceful slumber once more, the smile etched on her face for the remainder of the night.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N - Ok so i know i said i wanted 8 chapters before the next post and im two short, but there is a reason for me posting, i was just taking a break from writing on a hot rainy english sunday evening, and i thought i know i will take a look at the stats for Unexpected Suprises so far, i was totally blown away guys!

So far over 500 people have read this fic, and its only on Chapter 7... I was also amazed at how far away some of those people are... seriously dude... there is people all over the world reading this one...!

So Chapter 8 is just a little one from me to say Thanks to you all, to all of those reading, to all of those reviewing, and to all of those who have come back to read more than just chapter one... you guys are awesome and here is my thankyou... Enjoy!

So there is a suprise for Joey in this chapter, dont worry guys, unless you have missed the last year of H&A and havent read any other CJ fics yet, im pretty sure its safe to say that you guys already know what Charlies secret is...

Enjoy though... three more reviews for Chapter 9... im thankful but still a RW lol

ALxx

Chapter 8

Charlie awoke the next morning, opening her eyes painfully as the brass band erupted into song within her head, everything faded away as Joey's peaceful slumbering face came into view close to her face.

Glancing down she couldn't contain the grin as she realised they were tangled around each other, her leg was thrown protectively over Joey's, Clenching her left hand slightly she realised that her fingers were entwined with Joeys, feeling a soft flutter in her right hand she raised her head slightly to seek out the source of the fluttering to find it resting protectively over Joey's bump beneath her t shirt, the fluttering intensified causing Charlie's smile to broaden. Feeling completely at home and at peace, she lowered her head onto Joeys shoulder and closed her eyes, content to just lay there and enjoy the moment.

"Charlie?" Joey's voice creaked full of sleep and confusion.

"Yeah?" Charlie whispered softly not wishing to wake the other pair and lose her privacy with Joey.

"I've really gotta move" Joey stated sadly, Charlie rolled away from her quickly, ashamed at how comfortable she had been in Joey's arms when Joey obviously hadn't been.

Charlie couldn't contain her laugh as Joey jumped from the bed and dived into the bathroom, remembering when she had been pregnant with Ruby all those years ago and found herself waking up regularly to find her baby asleep on her bladder causing a lot of discomfort and panic over not making it to the toilet in time.

Within moments the sound of retching met her ears from the bathroom, with a frown Charlie rose from the bed ignoring the hangover that threatened to overtake her, she rushed into the kitchenette and poured a glass of water, making her way into the bathroom she found Joey knelt on the floor hugging the toilet.

With a little smile at the absurdity of the situation, Charlie moved towards the younger girl and joined her on the cold tiles placing the glass of water to the side, the taller woman pulled Joeys hair to the side with one hand, holding it back out of Joey's way whilst her other hand found Joey's back and rubbed it soothingly.

Ten or so minutes later, exhausted, Joey rested her head against the toilet bowl, welcoming the cool of the ceramic toilet, turning to face Charlie with an apologetic grimace, Charlie shook her head with a little warning not to mention it as she reached for the glass of water and handed it to the pale worn out woman who accepted it shyly.

"Sorry, you really didn't need to hear that" Joey groaned in embarrassment.

"It's fine, are you ok?" Charlie asked, instantly returning her hand to Joey's back and resuming the soothing motion.

"Yeah, just morning sickness, can't seem to get rid of it" Joey frowned sadly; it was as if Robbo had planned it, causing her as much pain and struggle as possible.

"Come on, lets go lie on the bed for a while" Charlie smiled softly as she stood up taking Joey's hands she helped her from the floor and made their way through to the bed, smiling at Leah and Ruby as they passed, each thinking they couldn't wait to see their expressions when they woke up and realised that they were snuggled into each other like an old married couple.

"What happened to the trawler?" Charlie asked quietly after a few moments of awkward silence as they lay on the bed careful not to touch each other.

"When I found out about this little one I had to give it up, it was too much physical work, so my friend who owns the blue lounge gave me a job so I could start saving for the baby and stuff" Joey replied sadly, all she had wanted to do was work on boats and it looked like Robbo had taken that from her too.

"You must be a little excited though right, I mean you're keeping the baby" Charlie turned to face her, smiling softly towards her, masking her own pain as she thought about how it had been for herself.

"I considered getting rid of it, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it, no matter who his or her father is… she doesn't deserve to be punished for that does she or he…. it?" Joey turned to ask Charlie, the sadness and pain evident in her eyes.

Joey suddenly let out a sob, the tears cascading down her face, Charlie reached her hand across, locking her fingers with Joey's , she turned on her side to look at her, even when she was distraught and crying she was still so beautiful to Charlie.

"Charlie I don't think I can do this, every time I look at it… I'm going to be reminded of him, of what he did to me" Joey sobbed, closing her eyes to drown out her surroundings, she felt stupid for talking to Charlie about this when she had kept it to herself determined not to speak to anyone of her feelings.

"Jo… when this baby comes out, the first thing your going to do is look into his or her eyes and you will instantly feel love for them, even if its barely strong enough to realise, it will be there, there will be times when you look at them and you see Robbo, when you cant bare to look at their face because of the memories that come back to haunt you with that look, but over time that will disappear, as the bond between you grows the pain will fade and all you will be left with is love and pride, when you look into his or her face in a few years the only thing you will see is your beautiful healthy child smiling back at you, not knowing the pain and heartache their birth brought but knowing that you're there for them no matter what and would do anything to protect them."

Joey opened her eyes and noticed two tears rolling slowly down Charlie's face, she expected her to be watching her but instead her gaze was across the room, looking at Ruby sadly.

"Charlie?" Joey questioned, Charlie quickly moved her eyes back to Joey, throwing her a sad smile.

"Your speaking from experience aren't you?" Joey stated more than asked, her heart breaking when Charlie nodded at her sadly.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N- Well here is your last update for today, i seriously hadnt realised how short it was untill a few moments ago... sorry guys... but there is a suprise at the end... for Joey... for Charlie... for you... but not for me, i wrote it so i know whats coming so its not really a suprise lol.

JSCO - I guess we will find out soon... wouldnt be a suprise if i just told you, where would be the fun in that?

Bethers - Glad you think so! Hmmm what are we gonna do with Angelo, chop him up and feed him to the sharks?

Paperheart - obviously crossing your fingers really helps... are you like the lucky irish leprachaun?

MellBell - she promised charlie she would stay... although she promised to be back in three months, im wondering whether her ship sank!

Tish - no not my line im afraid, my mate said it to me about five years ago and i didnt know what she meant either, but i quickly adopted it! Thanks, my story and i like you too :)

Paulinemcc - Hello! Yes Angelo is a problem... i wonder what Charlie is gonna do with him... knock him off and bury him in the sea maybe?

Tasha - Thanks, we love you too

AJ- Hmmm... Joey doing a MI on her... never thought of that one lol. Are you being sarky with that heart wrenching stuff there?

1818- You crack me up FATS, you know when im done posting this im turning your mini fic into a real fic so people can comment on it... your a looonatic, why has a bar in the city become a war zone... will they be getting a bus or a taxi home?

Gun- Yo Mate! Where have you been hiding! I like your attempt there, really... nice try... but no bacon lol... glad to see your back, does that mean your gonna start writing again?

Chester-Sam - I wonder too... will it have a good effect of Joey or will she be mad that Charlz didnt tell her before now... ooooo, of course i know but your gonna have to read on to find out lol, arnt i mean?

Right well, back to the fic... Enjoy the update, you know how the game works... 10 reviews for chapter 10 tomorrow, but it will be tomorrow evening UK time because im off out for a ride on the choo choo train... awesome!

Dont forget to R&R please

Enjoy!

AL x

Chapter 9

"Its Ruby isn't it?" again it was more of a statement than a question, Charlie didn't need to nod for Joey to know it was true, it explained so much, Charlie's protectiveness of the younger girl, their tight bond, how important it was for Charlie that Ruby approved and was ok with their relationship.

"Does she know?" Joey asked quietly, if she didn't Joey wasn't going to be the one to drop Charlie in it.

"Yeah, she found out about two months ago, Brett ran me over and the doctors at the hospital saw the scar and commented on it to her and Dad, a little after that the cat was out the bag" Charlie smiled softly as she thought about the best that had come from such a bad situation. Sure it had hurt like hell and the first month or so had been a nightmare but now they were back together and were so much closer, they talked about everything freely, trusting each other with their darkest secrets so not to make the same mistakes again.

"Brett ran you over!" Joey gasped, a little annoyed that her brother could do such a thing to anyone never mind to her Charlie…. _Whoa, she's not your Charlie Joey, just remember that, she's Angelo's Charlie now, you're just her friend! JUST her friend, her FRIEND, FRI END, her friend remember that, friend, friend, friend!_

"Yeah, don't worry about it… it was an accident and I wouldn't press charges" Charlie smiled, noticing that Joey still cared for her brother even though they fought a lot and hadn't parted on the best of terms.

"Why the hell not! I can't believe he ran you over, I'm going to kill the little toe rag!" Joey fumed.

"Hey keep the blood pressure down Collins, it was an accident, and I didn't press charges because he was your brother… I just couldn't do it" Charlie smiled sadly, blushing when she realised what she admitted to so openly.

"Do you remember singing to me last night" Joey smirked trying to lighten the conversation after a few moments of intense silence.

"Oh my god! You're joking! What did I sing?" Charlie was mortified; she knew from Joey's grin that she was being serious.

"After I eventually managed to get you into bed, you fell asleep singing 'you are always on my mind' to me" Joey giggled as Charlie blushed and groaned.

"I'm sorry, I was drunk… I mean I was singing because I was drunk…. Not that I didn't mean it… I mean I do mean it but I know we are just friends now…. I'm going to shut up now" Charlie grimaced at her own rambling causing Joey to laugh.

"I know I shouldn't say this, but you're so cute when you ramble" Joey grinned as Charlie rolled onto her back and hid her face.

"So what else did I do to embarrass myself last night then?" Charlie groaned from beneath her hands.

"Oh nothing much, nothing that wont save for the next reunion" Joey grinned cheekily, hoping that there would be another reunion.

"Come home" Charlie stated before she even realised the words were going to leave her lips.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N - And onto Chapter 10, apologies for the delay, i was out most of yesterday and when i got in i had endless problems with the internet on the laptop... nightmare!

I appreciate all the reviews that are flooding in, there was LOADS yesterday, your all amazing for reviewing and they are all great reviews too, glad to see im keeping alot of you on your toes about whats coming, some have guessed slightly close to whats coming up soon however no one has guessed yet whats to come and how it will all end... thats good, i think!

CJ4Eva- Thanks very much, here is your chapter ten.. seen as you guilt tripped me so nicely lol. i have to admit here, i maybe have given spoilers but i always back track them with garbage so you lot never realise whats a spoiler and whats me joking... sneaky hey... there is a spoiler somewhere in these review replies... im sure if you look hard enough you will find it lol

Funky - Hello! Thanks for all the reviews, really made me smile, i wonder if Charlie even knows the answer to that... she just asked, she didnt think about it just happened - trend for her dont you think?

Chester-Sam - Hooked hey? maybe i should try fishing?

Gunni - where have you been hiding all this time! Does this mean your back? are you gonna pick up the writing again? whats going on dude? Thanks for the review xx

1818- FATS i love ya, you make me smile with your wicked sense of humour and your complete randomness - what would i do without you in my day to make me laugh at your complete utter crap lol. Loving how Bing and Bong made an appearence... let me ask, were we on stage and was Bing attacking Jared?

Bethers - Your right but will she get rid of Angelo? hmmmm... maybe she will txt him on the way home and dump him, i dont know, why would i know :) Forgetting about Angelo would imply that he isnt important in her life and pretty much a waste of space... oh wait he is! But has JOEY forgotten about him?

AJ - ok i will let you off then my friend, friend, friend sarcastic friend! cant say anything without you taking the P can I?

JSCO - But will the routine last for long? or will this be it now... maybe this is happily ever after starting lol.

EA-CJ - My story and i love you too :)

MellBell - Lol, didnt get lost on the choo choo, maybe she will come home and get rid of Angelo... or maybe she will stay in the city and tell Charlz where to go for asking her such a big question... maybe she will go back to summer bay and charlz will marry Angelo anyway... the possibilities are endless lol

Phoenix - Welcome to the party! funny how few people have heard of the term 'pot noodle family', Thanks x

RIght thats all we have time for folks, on with the chapter... Hope you all enjoy, Thanks again for all your wonderful reviews, and to those who arnt comfortable enough reviewing... go on... give it a go!

Enjoy AL x

Chapter Ten

"What?" Joey asked full of confusion, had Charlie really just asked her to go home with her.

"Jo, you don't belong in the city, you belong in Summer Bay, I know things have changed but come home with us, let me help you with this little one, help you get back on your feet, I'm pretty sure Leah wouldn't mind you moving back in" Charlie tried to hide the excited smile that was threatening to expose her true feelings while she spoke.

"Wouldn't Angelo mind your ex moving in with you, or doesn't he know about me" Joey quickly added sadly wondering why she thought Charlie would have told her fiancée about her.

"He knows, but I don't care what he thinks, I don't like the idea of you being out here alone… please come back to the bay, everyone misses you" Charlie pleaded almost child like.

"I need to think about it, I mean I cant just up and leave, I have responsibilities here" Joey sighed, she was in complete turmoil, part of her was racing at the thought of being back in the bay, seeing Charlie everyday and getting to spend time with her, the other part of her was screaming for her to run and hide, to not allow herself to be put in the situation where Charlie could hurt her again.

Her thought train was interrupted by her mobile ringing, Charlie jumped from the bed and running to the couch she grabbed Joey's bag and fetched it to the bed for her.

Joey smiled thankfully, grabbing her phone, she saw Sam's name pop up on the caller ID, she glanced at Charlie who nodded with a smile, wondering who would be phoning Joey, but the ring tone being their song caused her heart to race with joy at the same time as the jealousy flowed through her.

"Morning Sam" Joey answered the call cheerily.

"Morning Sam, what the hell do you mean morning Sam, where are you!"

"I stayed with a friend"

"Would that friend be a brunette who you were throwing puppy eyes at all night?"

"Shut up, I was not!" Joey glanced at Charlie to see if she had heard Sam's comment, Charlie smiled softly and moved from the bed to flick the kettle on to give Joey some privacy, she had heard the comment and knew from the playful tone in the voice of the caller she had no reason to be jealous.

"So was it?"

"Yes, it was"

"It's her isn't it, the love of your life, the woman who you incessantly make my ears bleed by talking about" Sam laughed as Joey groaned into the phone.

"I'm not that bad am I?"

"Are you kidding, so tell me… have you two hooked up and you're moving back to the bay to be a little family?"

"Erm not quite, but it's a possible on the second one, I mean the offer is there but I'm not sure" Joey replied cryptically not wanting Charlie to understand what she was talking about.

"Jo don't be stupid, if you have the chance to go back, then go, you hate the city, you've been climbing up the walls with boredom at not being by the sea, if you have a chance go"

"I'm not sure, there's a lot more too it"

"Oh come on Jo, I'm not blind, you two were practically having sex with your eyes all night across the bloody room, get your backside here, pack your crap and give me some peace and quiet back" Sam laughed softly showing she didn't really mean it.

"You think? What if..."

"what if you stay, and part of you always wonders what could have been, if you go and you hate it you can always catch the bus back here, I promise I wont give anyone else your room, Jo please go home and give things a chance, your only happy when your in the bay"

"But what about the club?" Upon hearing this, Charlie listened more intently, she had already been listening but this had peaked her interest, she wondered if Joey's cryptic conversation was about Charlie's offer.

"Don't be daft Jo, you barely do any work anyway, and in another few weeks that bump will be so big you won't even fit behind the counter, just go and be happy with Charlie"

"its not going to be like that though, I told you there's more to it" Joey glanced at Charlie quickly to see if she was listening to the conversation, she relaxed when she saw her filling the liquid from the kettle into four cups.

"Ok, lets put it like this, if you and Charlie aren't all cosied up and living like a little family this time next year, I will write you a cheque for $500, just for being wrong, no strings"

"You really think?"

"Right, I'm hanging up and I'm going to pack your shit, come by and collect it later" Sam laughed as she hung the phone up.

"Everything ok?" Charlie smiled over noticing Joey's call had finished.

"Yeah, well I have just been sacked and made homeless so looks like you have a hitchhiker in the car" Joey smiled to Charlie, hoping she had meant her offer.

"That's great! I can't wait to tell Rubes and Leah your moving back in" Charlie grinned, not thinking how the sleeping arrangements were going to work this time.

"Will you shut up Charlotte, Jesus Christ, why are you being so loud" Ruby snapped as she lifted her head and glared at her mother, she instantly noticed something wasn't right, she glanced down at the hand resting on her chest dangerously close to her breast, her eyes followed the arm to the owner, squealing Ruby jumped from the bed causing Leah to shoot awake and stare around the room with confusion.

"Where's the fire?" she groaned as she began to cradle her throbbing head in her hands.

"You were groping me in your sleep!" Ruby stated almost angrily at Leah who glanced at her as if she was crazy.

"I don't think so, sorry to dash your dreams Rubes, but your not the right flavour for me, that and don't you think you're a little young for me" Leah forced a smile to Ruby who stood glaring at her.

"To be fair Leah, you were all cosied up with her" Joey grinned over causing Leah to blush; she knew Joey wouldn't lie to her. Leah glanced at Ruby to apologise noticing the smirk on her face at proving her wrong, she opened her mouth to apologise anyway.

"However saying that, Ruby was cuddled up to you aswell, infact I distinctly remember her hand being on your backside at one point" Joey smiled sweetly at Ruby who blushed, she could remember holding someone's backside in her sleep, she had just assumed it was Xavier's.

"It was quite sweet really, you too all cuddled up and holding each other, I'm gonna have to keep an eye on you both" Charlie grinned as she carried the coffees through to the coffee table, smirking at her sister as she dropped dramatically onto the sofa, waiting for the others to join her.

"Hey, I'm not a lesbian, unlike some…. Mum!" Ruby threw her a mock glare, hoping to get a rise from her, she suddenly glanced at Joey with horror realising she had let the cat out the bag.

"Its ok, I already know" Joey grinned at Ruby's expression as she moved into the lounge area and grabbed her coffee.

"So, your still here Jo…. Sleep well?" Ruby grinned, causing both women to blush slightly.

"Stop that! I wouldn't let her walk home alone at that time of night, we slept and nothing happened so you can get your mind out of the gutter right now" Charlie threw her a warning look.

"Sure, if you say so!" Ruby grinned as she threw a cushion at Charlie.

"I do" Charlie smiled at her, warning her to not push the topic.

"So Joey, what are your plans for today?" Leah asked hoping they would get to spend some more time catching up with her before they left.

"Actually… I'm going to grab my stuff, I'm coming home" Joey smiled at Ruby who jumped excitedly regardless of her hangover.

"You're moving back in, that's great!" Leah grinned hoping she was right by assuming by home Joey had meant their house.

"Yeah, just until I find somewhere else, I don't want to lumber you all with a screaming baby" Joey grimaced at the thought.

"Oh that's ok Jo, don't worry about that, I think the only one that would mind would be VJ" Leah smiled, excited that Joey would be coming back with them.

"VJ and Angelo" Ruby stated quietly gaining Charlie's glare.

"Angelo's arse, if I have to put up with his smelly socks then he can put up with Jo and the baby and he can smile about it" Charlie announced causing Ruby to grin, she knew that Angelo wouldn't be happy about it and he wasn't likely to put up with it either.


	11. Chapter 11

Everyone recovered from their heart attack from receiving an email saying i have updated a chapter?

This chap has to be dedicated to the nagger for kicking my arse about not posting for ages... taken on board and posted, happy now Mrs?

on with the fic...

AL xx

Chapter Eleven

They returned to bay that afternoon after Charlie and Ruby had taken Joey home to collect her things, they walked into the house tired but full of good spirits, determined to throw their bags in their rooms, open a bottle of wine and order a take away before lounging infront of the TV with a DVD and letting their bodies relax after a hectic weekend.

Charlie told Joey to put her stuff in her bedroom and she would bunk with Ruby for just now, Joey smiled thankfully feeling a little bad about putting everyone out but she did as she was told knowing she still wouldn't win the argument about staying at the caravan park instead, Charlie was being very firm in her 'your staying – end of' answer and not budging an inch.

Opening the door, Joey searched for the light switch in the place she remembered it being, finally locating it she flicked the switch and screamed before exiting the room looking rather pale to find Charlie, Ruby and Leah rushing towards her in a panic.

"Who are you and what the hell are you doing here!" Angelo exited the room with one of Charlie's pillows covering his 'man' hood.

"Angelo! What the hell are you doing, and why are you stood in the hallway naked and hugging my pillow" Charlie tried to keep the laugh from her face at his blush when he noticed all the women around him.

"I was err… waiting to give you a surprise" Angelo smiled cheekily at his fiancée who became a little nervous about the events unfolding.

"You gave me a bloody surprise!" Joey commented, the colour finally returning to her cheeks, all three women laughed causing Angelo to storm back into Charlie's room.

"Sorry" Joey whispered to Charlie, feeling bad for upsetting Angelo already, well she didn't really feel too bad as she couldn't stand him already, but she didn't want to upset or hurt Charlie in any way.

"Its fine, I'll be back in a sec" Charlie smiled, brushing lightly against Joey's arm as she entered the room to find Angelo dressing quickly and muttering angrily to himself.

"You could have bloody warned me you were bringing a friend back Charlz, thanks a lot!" he snapped as he noticed her in the room for the first time.

"How was I supposed to know you would be waiting in my room naked Angelo, I did say I would see you at work tomorrow." Charlie tried to keep the amusement from her voice knowing that it wouldn't go down well if she cracked a smile and laughed.

"Well I'm sorry for wanting to surprise my wife when she got home from a weekend away" He pouted like a child.

"Fiancée Angelo, I'm not your wife yet and don't try and guilt trip me, how the hell did you even get in here!" Charlie snapped, the word wife causing her to panic slightly.

"I err….." Angelo glanced around the room looking for some inspiration.

"You broke in, so I'm in the wrong because I'm letting a friend stay, when you broke into my house, hijacked my bedroom, and made yourself at home by getting naked on my clean sheets!" Charlie snapped knowing that she would now have to remake the bed for Joey.

"Are you mad at me?" Angelo asked in a condescending tone.

"No I'm not mad at you… but you should have warned me you were going to be here, poor Joey got the fright of her life" Charlie did feel a little bad that Angelo had been embarrassed.

"Joey, wait a second… as in Joey your ex Joey, what the fuck is she doing here, are you for real Charlie, your moving your girlfriend into our bedroom…"Angelo's face reddened with anger.

"Yes Joey as in Joey my ex Joey and she is here because she's in a bit of trouble and I'm helping my FRIEND out, not my girlfriend my FRIEND and its actually MY bedroom not our bedroom" she didn't know why she added the last bit but it was out before she realised and she knew it had hurt him by his expression.

"Well you can tell your FRIEND to go find help somewhere else, I'm not having you two sharing a bed together, and what if she tries to turn you again!" Angelo demanded as he thrust his hands onto his hips.

"Are you for real" Charlie rolled her eyes in frustration.

"Yes I am for real, get rid of her Charlie, I'm not having this… I can't believe you think its ok to bring your ex here to share your bed, did you really think I wouldn't mind, I mean seriously Charlie. For all I know this could be some little plot of hers to get back into your knickers! She probably isn't even in any trouble; she just made it up to get your sympathy" He fumed.

"Made it up? Angelo did you not see the fucking bump? What do you think she's stuffed a cushion up there in hope I wouldn't notice her giving birth to a damn pile of goose feathers, I cant work out whether your stupid or just being an idiot" Charlie felt the anger rise inside her as the need to protect Joey over rode her sensibility.

"Oh right so I'm an idiot, because I don't like the idea of some lesbian making moves on my wife, in her bed, while I'm not around to protect you!" Angelo screamed at her not caring that every other occupant of the house may hear him.

"Oh for fucks sake" Charlie made for the door, she needed a drink her head was pounding with Angelo's idiotic rants.

"I'm not finished Charlie!" Angelo yelled as he followed her, ignoring the three women sat on the couch pretending not to be listening to the fight.

"Angelo, what is actually going on in your head right now, you wanted me to marry you, and I'm marrying you! What more do you want from me!" Charlie snapped as she slammed the bottle down on the counter causing Angelo to flinch.

"I want to know that while I'm not here your not going to be fucking her" his voice was no more than an angry sneer but loud enough for the other three women to hear clearly.

"I can't believe you! I think you should go and calm down Angelo, I will see you at work tomorrow" Charlie could feel her blood boiling as she watched the man she was going to be marrying throwing his weight around.

"I'm not going anywhere until this is over!" He stood his ground stubbornly.

"Fine Angelo, Joey is staying in my room whilst I sleep with Ruby… are you going to accuse me of trying to fuck my own daughter now because if you are I think you should go before I actually throw this bottle at you" Charlie almost screamed, losing herself to her anger, she wanted nothing more than to get a reason to hit the smug look off his face.

"Ruby is your daughter not a jumped up little whore who gets herself knocked up!" Angelo felt his anger bubbling over as he listened to Charlie's threat.

Angelo jumped as he heard the wine bottle smash beside his head; he glared back at Charlie not believing she had thrown the bottle so close to him.

"Oh right, that's all I am is it, a jumped up little whore who was stupid enough to get herself knocked up, great Angelo, thanks a lot! I was fucking raped you idiot, do you think I wanted to get knocked up? Do you think I asked for it or something?" Charlie fought her own tears, determined not to let him see her cry over an idiotic comment he had made.

"I didn't mean you, you crazy cow, I can't believe you just threw a bloody bottle at me, are you crazy! Have you actually lost your mind this time?" Angelo's voice was so high pitched, neither of them noticed the three women who stood in the door way watching, having heard the shattering glass they had all rushed through to check Charlie was safe.

"Oh so what, now your calling Joey a jumped up whore? Clever Angelo… real clever she's in the same fucking situation you moron! So you may inadvertently have meant Joey but you actually meant me aswell, I think you should go!" Charlie was furious, she told herself it was because of Angelo insulting her but she knew it was because of what he had called Joey, she knew it was because no matter what the situation, she would always defend and protect Joey over everyone else.

"I'm not going anywhere Charlie, I didn't mean you, I meant that lesbian!" Angelo spat it out like the word was a bad taste in his mouth.

"Angelo, leave now!" Charlie stated angrily, glaring at him, begging her self to calm down before she actually did punch him.

"No… I'm not leaving so she can make her move on you, she's going to try and turn you and I'm not going to let her" Angelo was angrily glaring at her determined to protect his property.

"Angelo, seriously, when you found out about Joey what did you think we did on a night? Had pillow fights and drank hot chocolate? For fucks sake! You can't just turn someone are you completely stupid or have you had some kind of blow to the head lately" Charlie snapped.

"Oh right so what are you saying, your still a lesbian… is that why you brought her back here!" Angelo asked in astonishment.

"Oh Angelo, go home and sleep your bloody ego off"

"You can't answer me can you?" Angelo asked angrily.

"Angelo go home"

"Charlie answer me" he demanded.

"No, go home and I will talk to you tomorrow"

"So you are a lesbian then"

"I'm not a fucking lesbian Angelo, would I be fucking marrying you if I was a lesbian? Do you not think that would be a little odd, I swear to god if you don't get out of my house right now the wedding is off, leave me alone and get over yourself" Charlie screamed so loud that everyone listening flinched, Joey made her way to the sofa and plopped herself down, Charlie had just said it, there was no chance, she already knew it but now it had been confirmed.

"Fine, goodnight!" Angelo spat as he slammed the door behind him.

Ruby rushed into the room and wrapped her arms around Charlie her face full of concern.

"Charlz you can't put up with this, every time you do something he doesn't like this happens" Ruby soothed.

"Its fine Ruby, he was just shocked to find Joey here, it will all be forgotten in the morning, oh shit, where's Jo?" Charlie asked, the panic filling her as she realised she was the only person missing from the kitchen.

"In the lounge, go talk to her I'll clean up the glass" Ruby ordered.

Charlie moved into the front room to find Joey sat quietly on the couch, dumping herself on the sofa next to her she pulled her into a hug

"Jo, I'm so, so sorry, you shouldn't have had to hear that" Charlie whispered worried that Angelo's anger had pushed Joey away from her again.

"Charlz, I'm gonna go and get a van"

"No your not, your staying right here, I brought you home to come home, not come to the town and stay in a van… this is where you belong and this is where your staying!" Charlie stated adamantly, determined that she wouldn't back down.

"I never meant to come between you and Angelo, I never wanted that, I just want you to be happy and now I have gone and wrecked that" Joey sobbed softly feeling ashamed of her self.

Charlie sighed sadly, hating that she had caused Joey more upset.

"Trust me Jo that isn't the worst fight we have had and it wont be the last, tomorrow it will all be forgotten, don't worry about it, I'm sorry about what he said about you, I will talk to him tomorrow when he has calmed down" Charlie frowned.

"No its fine, forget it, I'm sorry" Joey muttered sadly.

"Will you listen to me Collins, your not going anywhere, this is your home not his… he can bugger right off, and I will talk to him tomorrow and everything will be fine" Charlie smiled to show she meant it, her smile increased when Joey nodded her acceptance.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Anything to avoid the nagging lol!

Thanks for all reviews given, looking forward to the next lot!

Enjoy

AL x

Chapter Twelve

Hearing her bedroom door creak open Charlie exited Ruby's room to find Joey hunched over the toilet, following her actions from the day before she soothed Joey's back and held her hair out of her way before helping Joey back to her bed, she kissed her forehead softly then left to fetch a glass of cold water.

Joey thanked her sadly before taking a long gulp of the refreshing liquid.

"Charlie I really didn't want to cause you any problems, I don't want you to think I'm here for revenge for what happened with us." Joey stated suddenly surprising Charlie.

"Don't be daft Jo, I know you would never do anything like that, you have too good a heart, now drink that water and when your ready we are going to the diner for breakfast before my shift" Charlie grinned before leaving the room to get ready.

Charlie entered the station, throwing her bag into her locker she made her way into the office to find Angelo stood at her desk holding a massive bunch of flowers that must have easily cost a weeks salary.

"Forgive me for being so jealous and possessive over my beautiful fiancée?" He pleaded, the flowers were obviously very expensive and he must have gotten up early to get them ready and in the station on time, she didn't have the heart to be a bitch to him so smiled curtly and nodded in acceptance of his apology.

"Angelo, Joey is just a friend now, I know you don't like it but your just going to have to get used to it, she's my friend and she needs help and I'm not going to just abandon her to protect your ego, please try and get over this and be nice to her, for me?" Charlie pleaded, desperate to avoid another argument.

Angelo nodded before leaving the office, he wanted nothing more than throttle Joey and throw her out of the bay but he promised Charlie he would be nice to her so he would at least try and play nice.

"Babe, can I take you out for dinner tonight, you know apologise for last night again?" Angelo asked sweetly as the end of a long and boring shift approached slowly

"No can do Ang, we are having a welcome home dinner for Joey" Charlie announced cheerfully and noticed the sour look instantly gracing Angelo's face. "It's being served at 7pm and I expect you there with a smile and an apology" Charlie glanced at him warning him that she meant it, with a dutiful nod Angelo left to get ready for his date with his fiancée and her ex lesbian lover.

_At least she bothered to invite me and hasn't shut me out completely_ Angelo thought to himself, a little impressed that Charlie seemed to be genuine about the arrangement.

Entering the house via the kitchen, Charlie kicked off her boots and removed her belt, instantly feeling better for losing the weight. Two voices met her ears from the lounge, it was Joey and Ruby.

"What was it like Rubes… when you found out about who your father was?" Joey asked shyly.

"Truthfully? It was like a rollercoaster of emotions, when I first found out I felt sick, then I got it into my head that finding him was a good idea, all I wanted was to look him in the eye and tell him what a bastard he was for doing what he did to Charlz, things got a little crazy then Charlz being cop of the year realised I had gone to see him and followed me…." Ruby trailed off shaking her head in annoyance at herself for bringing Charlie's world down around her.

"She picked me up in the middle of the street and Grant, that's my fath…. My biological father, he must have followed us home because he turned up here, he tried to turn me against Charlz, telling me that he was the victim in it all and that Charlie got scared of getting into trouble so cried rape… he was so convincing and I was so… desperate to not be the product of rape that I let him twist my mind into believing him, I actually thought that Charlie had made it all up" Ruby let out a sob as she tried to reign her emotions in.

"Jo, you should have seen the look on Charlie's face when she realised that Grant had turned me against her, that he had gotten me to believe that she was lying, I don't think I will EVER forget that look of complete pain and torment, it was as if the little bit of her soul left was ripped straight from her…. It went down hill from there, Charlie lost sight of everything… she went on this mission, it was as if the only thing left in her life that mattered was proving that she wasn't lying… a lot of crazy things happened but the basic gist of it is… Charlie kidnapped him, she took him to this house in the middle of nowhere and… well she tortured him, we managed to track her down and found her in the middle of….." Ruby sobbed as Joey wrapped her arm around her.

"I have never seen her like that, it was almost as if every last ounce of life had been sucked from her, it wasn't Charlie in that room…. She was… she looked… Jo it was awful, I can't imagine what she was going though but she lost the plot big time… I managed to get her to go outside with me and she told me what had happened, why she had gone to such extremes… to protect me from falling into his clutches and being hurt by him… we went back in and some stuff happened but he said some stuff that made Charlie's story seem like it was real, when I looked at both of them right at that moment, my heart just knew that Charlie was telling the truth" Ruby stated, completely ashamed of herself.

"When Grant had been found by Angelo and Watson he had confessed everything he wanted to be banged up as far away from Charlie as possible, he was terrified she was going to come after him again for revenge" Ruby glanced to make sure Joey wasn't thinking Charlie was a monster. "She did it to protect me, because the only thing she needed was to know that I believed in her…. I let her down so much"

Before she could comprehend what was happening, Charlie had rushed into the room and thrown herself at Ruby, enveloping herself around her daughter as she sobbed that it wasn't Ruby's fault and there was absolutely nothing for her to feel guilty about.

"Sweetheart, I was a time bomb waiting to explode, none of that was your fault, you have to know that" Charlie sobbed as she felt her daughters sobs from within her cocoon.

"But I brought him back into your life, it was all because of me" Ruby managed to stutter out between sobs.

"Listen to me Ruby Buckton, none of this was your fault ok, out of anybody you are the innocent party here, if there is one thing I regret more than lying about our relationship, its you finding out what a shit he is, I would do anything, I would go to any lengths to protect you, I don't care what it takes or what the consequences are, I will always protect you!" Charlie pulled back to look into Ruby's puffy eyes.

"Do you hear me Rubes, I would do anything for you, I promise he is never going to hurt either of us again ok, nobody is going to hurt my little girl" Charlie sobbed as she pulled Ruby back into her tight embrace.

Joey watched on, her own tears running down her face as Charlie soothed Ruby, she had never seen Charlie so open and honest, so raw and emotional. It broke her heart. She shuffled forward and pulled them both into a hug needing to make the two women she cared about most feel safe and protected.


	13. Chapter 13

Heres chapter 13 before i get nagged again!

thanks for all the reviews guys!

AL x

Chapter Thirteen

Ten minutes later, Ruby sat comfortably in the middle of the sofa, having calmed down a little she had decided to tell Joey the rest of their story and was now answering Joey's question as to whether she would rather having never finding out the truth.

"I don't hate Charlz for lying to me, I did when I first found out, I didn't want to ever see her again, but when I realised what she actually went through I started to see a little more clearly, then all that stuff with Grant happened and I saw the lengths that Charlie would go to protect me and I couldn't stay mad at her" Ruby smiled warmly as she cuddled into her mum who placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"Are you scared of what's going to happen with Robbo?" Ruby asked eventually, feeling both women physically flinch on either side of her.

"What if he finds out and comes looking for us?" Joey aired the thought that had been running around her mind since she found out she was pregnant with his child.

"Then I will take him down, no one hurts my girls" Charlie smiled, wondering why the other two women were looking at her curiously, then she realised what she had said, she shrugged it off, she still cared about Joey and if anyone couldn't handle that it was tough luck for them.

"You can't protect me all the time Charlz, you have a wedding and a husband to take care of" Joey watched as Charlie grimaced at the thought of having both the wedding and the husband to tackle soon.

"Watch me, if anyone tries to hurt either of you I will hunt them down and make them pay" Charlie smiled softly at Joey.

"Ok Charlz, although that's real sweet, careful who you say that infront of, after the whole Grant thing I wouldn't advise you let anyone hear it" Ruby smiled as Charlie punched her playfully.

"I'm not a total psycho you know" Charlie grinned and noticed Joey's smirk.

"I'm not" Charlie screeched but Joey just smirked more, Charlie grabbed the cushion behind her and threw it at Joey who squealed more in shock than anything else.

Joey grabbed her stomach and winced in pain. Charlie shot from her side of the sofa and rushed towards her apologising profusely; she rested her hand on Joey's head trying to sooth her.

"Jo do you want me to take you to the hospital and get checked out?" Charlie panicked that she had really hurt Joey, she lifted her head to meet her eyes so Joey could see how sorry she was but instead of pained expression she found a mischievous grin.

"Oh that is so not funny, you scared me you cow" Charlie grumbled as Ruby and Joey laughed at her.

"Hey girls" Angelo announced his arrival after watching the games between the three, it hurt his pride watching Charlie be so playful with Joey, and Ruby getting along so well with her aswell but he told Charlie he would play nice so he was intending on.

"Hey, more flowers, I guess you really are sorry" Charlie stood and kissed his cheek, feeling a little awkward at kissing him infront of Joey.

"Err, actually these aren't for you… Joey I'm sorry for the scare I gave you last night and for anything I said in the heat of the moment, I hope you can forgive me" he smiled sweetly at her surprising all three women.

"Oh… thanks… you really didn't need too, their beautiful thank you" Joey forced a smile; she had to admit the gesture was quite sweet, even though she disliked the man with a passion.

"No problem, any friend of Charlie's is a friend of mine, how are you feeling today, settled in ok?" he asked as he snaked his arm around Charlie's waist and held her tight, determined to show Joey as nicely as possible that Charlie was a no go zone.

"Yeah fine, I'll just go and pop these in some water, thanks Angelo" Joey stood from the couch, she was determined to make things work this time, as she made her way past Angelo she reached up on her tip toes and kissed him quickly on the cheek before disappearing into the kitchen a little embarrassed.

"Hey I must have a knack of turning gay women straight, maybe I really am this hot" Angelo smirked at a shocked looking Charlie who rolled her eyes at his arrogance.

"Yeah babe, maybe you should head to the nearest gay club and see who gives you the most attention" Charlie grinned when he paled at the thought causing Ruby to giggle at him.

They sat down to dinner as a family, Charlie, Ruby, Joey, Angelo, Leah and VJ. The conversation started off well but dwindled quickly causing each person to try and force conversation, each time it died miserably forcing everyone to be very complimentary to everyone else, Leah was just glad things were calm and there wasn't any shouting going on.

Joey decided to tell some stories from the things she had witnessed in the club, everyone found themselves enjoying her animated story telling and laughing until their faces physically ached from smiling and laughing, even Angelo had to admit he enjoyed her stories.

"You're quite the story teller Jo, aren't you?" Angelo smiled as she finished a story and the laughter had died down.

"I just tell it how it is" Joey smiled back at him, glad that he was being a lot more pleasant than the night before.

"Oh yeah sure, she's a fisherman by trade, she has to be able to tell a good story" Charlie grinned at her.

"That's so not true!" Joey pretended to look offended.

"Oh right sure, how big was that fish you caught when you took Alf out?" Charlie asked with a smile, Joey lifted her hands infront of her, placing them almost a metre apart.

"See, typical fisherman! don't believe a word she tells you" Charlie smiled at Angelo causing the group to laugh.

"I do not lie! It was that big Charlie, ask Alf he will tell you" Joey defended causing the group to laugh.

"Where's the proof, prove it to me!" Charlie squealed, they had had this argument so many times before in the past that Leah, Ruby and VJ rolled their eyes.

"I told you, we put it back, don't wanna kill the fishies" Joey smiled at her, the laugh evident in her voice.

"Bull! You kill fish for a living! You just happened to put it back so people wouldn't see that it was only this big" Charlie held her hand out, making a two inch gap between her fingers.

"Oh Charlz, even you could catch one that big and your pathetic" Joey grinned when she saw Charlie's put out face.

"Hey that's not fair! It's boring, if I'm gonna sit and do nothing all day I will do it in a beauty parlour and get a manicure while I'm there" Charlie smiled at Joey as she laughed.

"You're such a girl! Always complaining that you're going to break a nail or scuff your heels" Joey commented, she glanced to Angelo noticing the not too happy face on their banter and decided to change the subject.

"Do you fish Angelo?" Joey asked calmly.

"Sometimes, too busy for it at the moment though, got a huge case with some abalone thief breaking the laws, gotta try and catch the ring leader and bring the whole ring down" he smiled proudly making Joey think he was a prat, at least when Charlie talked about work she was cute, or maybe adorable… possibly adorably cute.

"Well if you fancy going out fishing sometime let me know, there isn't any point taking Charlie because she is too scared of the worms" Joey shot an amused glance at Charlie who glared in return.

"They are yucky and disgusting, I'm not touching those things" Charlie complained.

"Babe they are worms, they aren't going to hurt you" Angelo smiled lovingly at her.

"They will if they bite my nail off" Charlie shrieked.

"There we go again with the nails" Joey grinned causing Leah and Ruby to laugh at her, Angelo didn't look too impressed though.


	14. Chapter 14

Here is chapter 14!

a) thanks for all the reviews

b) thanks to 118118 for her little side line fic... if you havent read it yet, get on the reviews and look for it, you cant miss it (free plugging there for you matey!)

c) thanks to AJ-1978 for her reviews that clearly pointed out her thoughts... im liking your alphabetical system, may start using that myself!

d) for all those nagging me to update the others... be patient... i know some of you are incapable of being patient (lol!) but patience is a virtue... 10 chaps of this fic to go then i will start updating the others too... patience...

e) here is chapter 14... read on

AL xxx

Chapter Fourteen

It was ten o'clock when Angelo finally left after unsuccessfully trying to convince Charlie to go back to his apartment with him, Charlie had refused politely telling him she was shattered after her first shift after the weekend and just wanted to get some sleep, the wedding was playing on her mind, in four days she would become Mrs Charlie Rosetta and the thought scared her, truly scared her.

She had the morning off the next day and had convinced Joey and Ruby to go on a picnic with her before work, they had agreed readily and the morning quickly arrived.

They went to the beach and had a lovely morning sat gossiping and nattering, the conversation had turned to babies names with each inputting the worst name they could think of. Rachel had talked Joey into going to the hospital for a scan when she learnt of her return and while Charlie was at work, Joey and Ruby were going to attend the appointment.

Charlie left the girls ordering Ruby to carry the basket back to the house and not let Joey do it, after she left Ruby turned to Joey.

"She's still very protective of you isn't she" Ruby grinned with a knowing smile.

"She's just being a good friend" Joey defended.

"Joey Collins look me in the eye and tell me you don't still love her" Ruby stated boldly.

"Of course I still love her, I always will but we aren't together anymore, we have moved on and have our own lives now" Joey smiled softly hoping her bluff was believable.

"You know, I'm not blind, you are obviously still in love with each other, and you need to tell her before its too late" Ruby stated seriously.

"Not going to happen, we are both happy and that's how it's going to stay, we don't need to mess each others lives up again" Joey replied seriously, pleading with her eyes for Ruby not to interfere.

"Seriously Joey, Charlie still loves you, even Angelo can see it" Ruby grinned when Joey's eyes sparkled at hearing that Charlie still loved her.

"But never the less, she is marrying him on Friday, and I'm happy for her, and right now we need to head back and get to the hospital, are you looking forward to seeing this little one aunty Ruby" Joey grinned as Ruby jumped excitedly.

"Will you really let him or her call me aunty?" Ruby beamed feeling like she had just been given the greatest gift of all.

"Of course, you're practically like a sister to me anyway" Joey smiled softly as they began to walk.

"You know, if you and Charlz stop being idiots and get back together, that could be my brother or sister in there" Ruby grinned dreamily.

"Never gonna happen Rubes, leave it alone" Joey smiled softly, her eyes telling her that she was serious and that it wasn't ever going to happen, but the thought in her own mind caused her heart to smile.

Charlie arrived home after her final shift to find the table set and ready for dinner, Leah was out on a date, VJ at another sleepover with his friend so it was just the three of them, Angelo and Charlie had the rest of the week and the two weeks after off, Angelo was out on his stag do that night leaving Charlie to relax with some peace and quiet.

Charlie grinned when she realised what dinner was, she could smell it in the air, Ruby bounded into the kitchen with a smile.

"Joey let me test taste it, its like heaven, seriously dump Angelo and marry her just for the recipe, apparently it's a family only thing" Ruby mimicked Joey causing Charlie to laugh.

"Sorry Rubes, I don't think she would have me" Charlie smiled to cover the pain of wishing it were Joey she was marrying in a few days time.

"She still loves you, just as much as you love her" Ruby grinned

"Shhhhhh, she might hear you, I thought we talked about this, we are just friends now, nothing more nothing less, please drop it Rubes I'm marrying Angelo in three days and that's the end of it" Charlie whispered causing Ruby to grin even more at how defensive Charlie was.

"Fine but when your saying I do and you turn and realise that its Angelo stood next to you and your vowing your life to him and not Joey and you want to run, remember to give me the signal and I will get you out of there" Ruby giggled when Charlie rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I thought I heard your voice, good day at work?" Joey wobbled into the kitchen; her bump seemed to be growing by the day.

"Yeah it was alright, 17 days off now though, heaven" Charlie beamed as Joey entered, it had only been 2 days since Joey's return and Charlie was already used to coming home to her.

"So how was the scan, is this little one fit and healthy" Charlie smiled as she tenderly placed her hand on the bump, instantly feeling the kicking begin.

"Well she either loves you or hates you, anytime you come near she starts kicking the hell out of me" Joey laughed as she grabbed the casserole dish and moved towards the table with it.

"Wait she?" Charlie smiled, glancing at Ruby and Joey who nodded excitedly.

"Oh that's great, so now we have to find a girls name, I was thinking at work, what about something original like dingy, I know how much you love boats" Charlie giggled

"I already know what I'm going to call her, I had the girls name picked the moment I found out, and now it's a girl it couldn't be better" Joey grinned as Charlie and Ruby froze while they waited for Joey to announce the name.

"Come on jo, its Ruby isn't it, your naming her after me" Ruby grinned causing Charlie and Joey to laugh.

"No I'm calling her Charlotte, Charlotte Faith Collins" Joey announced proudly, Charlie was awestruck.

"How come she gets the sprog named after her!" Ruby whined causing Joey to laugh softly.

"Because Ruby, when I was at my lowest Charlie helped build me back up and I want this little one to know that Charlie had a lot to do with me being strong enough to carry her and be her mother and faith because, I want her to remember that even when bad things happen, with a little faith they will get better and make you stronger" Joey smiled at Charlie who was still sat speechless.

"Charlie, do you hate it? I don't have to name her Charlotte if you really hate it" Joey suddenly worried that she had stepped over the line.

"No I love it" Charlie finally broke her silence, the grin spread across her face.

"I don't in the slightest deserve it, but I would be so honoured if you named her Charlotte" she grinned at Joey who returned it, both smiling broadly.

"Oh where is the camera when you need it!" Ruby grinned causing the other two to laugh at her.


	15. Chapter 15

AN - Well heres the next chap, apologies for not updating last few days, having some internet issues so couldnt get it uploaded!, here it is now thought before the nagging starts

Thanks for all the reviews that are coming in, very much appreciated!

Onto the chap...

AL xxx

"Morning babe" Angelo said gruffly as he approached the three girls in the diner the next morning, he kissed Charlie who wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Jesus Angelo, how much did you drink last night, you smell like a damn brewery" Charlie wined.

"Too much, I feel like I drank the damn brewery" he groaned as he picked up her coffee and swigged it in on.

"Oh don't worry, I wasn't planning on drinking that, It was just there incase I decided later to have a cold coffee" Charlie almost glared at him, reminding herself to keep calm and that it wasn't that big a deal.

"Sorry, I'll go order you another one, girls do you want a fresh coffee?" he offered, once he saw their heads shaking he went to order the largest fry-up Leah could provide him and two coffees. He went to sit at the table with the three girls while he waited, Charlie softened when she received her coffee. Joey thought_ he should know better than taking Charlie's morning coffee, what was he thinking!_

"What you doing today babe" Angelo asked hoping he could spend the day with his future wife.

"Dress fitting, don't forget your supposed to be going to collect your suit today, and you need to ring the garage and check on the cars too please" Charlie smiled at him, to anyone else it would have looked legitimate but Ruby saw right through her façade.

"Yes wifey, I will go and do it when I've eaten, promise, are you going to see the dress with them Jo?" Angelo asked sweetly, hoping to gain more brownie points from Charlie.

"I'm going into the city but I need to go shopping for a few bits while they are doing all that over the top wedding thing, not my scene I'm afraid" _not my scene_ Joey thought, _seeing Charlie looking stunning is not my scene, truth is it hurts to much to see her looking so radiant and know that its not for me_.

"Oh come on Jo, you've gotta come in, if you come then we can help you find some shorts that will fit over Lottie here" Ruby grinned, Angelo looked at her questioningly.

"The baby, she's gonna be called Lottie, Charlotte Faith Collins" Ruby told him proudly, not realising she was putting her foot in it a little.

"Oh that's nice" Angelo forced himself to say, the hangover making his usual ability to lie blind obsolete.

"Don't worry Angelo, I'm naming her Charlotte because Charlie was there to help me after the whole Robbo thing, that's the only reason" Joey smiled at him, not wanting to cause an argument so close to the wedding.

"Oh well, maybe we will give you the middle name of our first born" Angelo smiled towards her, his sarcastic tone not lost on any of the others around the table.

"Actually the middle name of my first born is Clara, my mum's name" Charlie stated, Angelo looked at her with confusion.

"When did you decide this" he felt a little annoyed that he hadn't been involved in the decision making.

"Erm, when Ruby was born" Charlie glanced at him dumbly, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh right yeah, maybe the second born then Jo, sorry" Angelo smiled at her, he tried to hide the smirk but it was there, he just couldn't be bothered in his tender state to pretend to like the girl.

"That's ok Angelo, if I ever get knocked up again, maybe ill slip your name in there, Ruby Angelina has a nice ring to it" Joey smiled sweetly at him, kicking Ruby under the table for snorting at her, she glanced at Charlie who was hiding her laugh and grin behind her hand.

"Thanks" Angelo smirked back at her, pissed off that all three women were laughing at his expense.

"Right girlies, as much fun as this is, we have an appointment in the city in two hours, we have to get moving!" Ruby announced, grabbing her coffee and draining its remains.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

They hit the city a little earlier due to there being no traffic, they headed into a baby shop and cooed over all the cute toys, whilst Joey was in the changing room trying on some very stretchy cargo pants, Charlie made her way to the till with a few items, Ruby watched on in amusement from behind her, she had grabbed the cutest stuffed shark she had ever seen for baby Lottie, Charlie however had a full basket containing toys and baby grows amongst some other items.

When Joey exited the shop, Charlie was telling Ruby to shut up as Ruby openly teased her about something – whatever it was Charlie was looking extremely flustered about it, each time she said the two words they got a little louder and angrier until she exploded.

"Come on Charlz admit it, your totally freaking out about marrying Angelo yet here you are shopping for Joey's baby as if its your own and your not batting an eye lid…. Admit it Charlz… you lurve her, you wanna kiss her, you wanna marry her" Ruby sang with laughter

"I swear to god Ruby, you may be seventeen but your not to old to throw over my knee and spank your arse for being naughty now pack it in!" Charlie couldn't contain her giggle when Ruby laughed openly at her threat, she would never hit Ruby in a million years, but the threat was still there to throw at her from time to time.

"I can't believe you just pulled the whole mother routine on me, nice one Charlz" Ruby grinned.

"Hey you wanna be careful Rubes, she's a good spanker this one" Joey winked at Ruby, noticing Charlie redden in embarrassment at the suggestion.

"Way too much info… that's my mother Jo, it's sick…. Your sick….. Seriously, seriously sick!" Ruby groaned, but she didn't miss the fleeting look between the two women, nor their none too subtle knowing smile to each other.

"What's in the bags" Joey asked, noticing them for the first time and wanting to take the attention away from the way Charlie was looking at her.

"Just a few bits, go pay for those and I'll show you when we stop for lunch, it wont take long in the dress shop" Charlie promised

In the dress shop, Charlie gave her name to the receptionist, telling her that she was in for her final dress fitting; the world final sent an uneasy shiver down Charlie's spine.

The women returned a moment later, motioning for the three women to follow her, she hung up the dress on the wall opposite the large mirror and left the large changing room, Joey moved to follow and leave the room.

"Don't be soft, it's not as if its any thing you haven't seen before" Charlie smiled wanting Joey to stay to get her honest opinion.

Ruby smirked as she watched Joey look anywhere but at Charlie as she changed into the dress, she noticed the odd glance Joey allowed her self to peak at Charlie, her eyes sparkled with excitement, the lust rushing through her obvious on her features.

Charlie turned and noticed the look, Ruby rushed to the back of her and zipped up the dress, noticing the two women frozen in their stare, she didn't want to break them out of their spell, hoping they would quickly realise what they will lose in two days if they didn't wake up and see what was right in front of them.

"Are you decent" the voice of the dress fitter broke the silence and the pair from their trance, both blushed and looked away as Ruby rolled her eyes.

"Yes come on in" Charlie called out, not daring to meet Joey's eyes again.

For the first time Joey took in Charlie entirely, she felt her heart melt as she looked at the love of her life infront of her looking so radiant in her wedding dress.

"Well?" Charlie asked looking at Ruby.

"Defiantly the right choice, you look stunning" Ruby grinned, knowing from the look on Joey's face what she was thinking.

"Joey, what do you think, do I look ok?" Charlie asked knowing Joey would give her an honest answer.

Joey was lost in a trance as she stared at Charlie, she looked so beautiful infront of her it made her want to cry, she wished so much that she could be the one lucky enough to marry Charlie but she wasn't.

"You look… totally amazing, Angelo is so lucky, he's going to be gobsmacked when he see's you wearing this" Joey breathed in one sentence, trying to remind herself that she had no right to admire Charlie in the way that she was.

Charlie felt crushed at Joey's statement, it was as if Joey was telling her to marry Angelo, she had hoped Joey may have told her she still had feelings for her, but she hadn't and so she was doomed to marry the man she didn't love.

They headed to a café and sat in a booth whilst Charlie showed Joey the gifts she bought for the baby, all three girls cooing over the tiny baby grows and the little dresses Charlie had picked up. There was one more outfit left in the bag, Ruby was confused, everything she had seen Charlie put in the basket had been shown.

"Close your eyes" Charlie smiled at Joey who rolled her eyes at her in mock annoyance.

"Close them Jo!" Charlie ordered softly, when her eyes were shut she laid the garments on the table as if they were on a baby.

"Ok open them" Charlie smiled, Joey opened her eyes and gazed at the clothes, a tear forming in her eyes.

"Do you like it?" Charlie asked worriedly as Joey eyed the tiny green cargo pants, the grey t-shirt sporting a happy fish, the tiny little black beanie and the red converse shoes that matched the colour of the fish.

"She's gonna look just like me" Joey beamed happily, grabbing the tiny beanie in her hands and grinned at Charlie who smiled back.

"Well if she does she will be the luckiest most beautiful child in the world" Charlie smiled sheepishly at Joey, their trance being interrupted by the waiter bringing their food. Ruby silently cursed all the city workers for interrupting true love at work.


	17. Chapter 17

A.N. - Well seen as AJ-1978 hasnt updated for 3 years here is an update to keep you all going until she gets around to actually posting a chapter!

Chapter Seventeen

"Wakey, Wakey bride to be" Ruby grinned as Charlie stirred and groaned at her usual morning cheerfulness.

"Shut up Rubes" Charlie grumbled as she sat up and took the offered coffee.

"Why the bad mood? not having wedding jitters are we?" Ruby grinned knowing fine well Charlie was having a whole load of wedding jitters due to the fact the person she wanted to marry was in the next room and wasn't Angelo Rosetta.

"Ruby please just drop it, Joey and I are over, Angelo is a good man, he deserves to be happy and have a wife that respects him, I'm going to do just that tomorrow, I'm going to marry him and be the best wife to him that I can" Charlie's voice was so confident but inside her heart and mind were screaming at her to run away.

"Charlie, I'm only going to ask this twice more, once now and once in the morning before it's really too late, are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Ruby I'm sure, I'm going to marry Angelo tomorrow and we are going to be happy, please just accept that" Charlie sighed; it was hard enough convincing herself never mind having to convince others.

"Ok well humour me, if there was one thing that would stop you marrying Angelo what would it be?" Ruby asked already knowing the answer but hoping the change it tactic may change things.

"I'm not answering that Ruby" Charlie stated, sipping her coffee uneasily, the first thing her mind had screamed as Ruby had asked was '_JOEY!_.

"Oh come on, humour your daughter, if you tell me I promise to stop bugging you about it" Ruby grinned at her mother who rolled her eyes.

"The only thing that will stop me marrying Angelo, is if Joey walks up to me and tells me that she is still in love with me and wants me back, and we both know that's not going to happen" Charlie sighed sadly.

"But what if Joey does still love you but she's too scared to tell you?" Ruby smiled softly knowing if she could just convince one of the women to spill their feelings, this whole mess would be fixed.

"She doesn't, she is completely over me, I answered your question now can we please drop it Rubes… please" Charlie begged, eventually Ruby gave in and nodded sadly, she hated the fact that her mother was about to make this huge mistake.

"Hey morning, how's the wedding jitters going" Joey smiled as she popped her head round the door.

"I'm fine, there's no jitters here" Charlie lied behind her smile not noticing the amused and sceptical look on Ruby's face and the panicked nervous expression on her own.

Joey crawled onto the bed and flipped onto her back causing Charlie and Ruby to grin at her making herself at home.

"So what's on the agenda today, what would madam like to do with her last day of freedom" Joey smiled, hiding her pain and misery behind a false smile, determined to be as helpful to Charlie as possible.

"Today, well I have to phone the reception venue and check the caterers are set and everything has arrived, I have to ring the church just to make sure its standing and the vicar hasn't had a heart attack or ran away with one of the choir boys, I have to check in with the florist and check she knows to deliver the flowers here at 10am promptly, then I have to ring the hairdresser and check she is still set to be here at 9, then ring the beautician and check she's set to be here for 9.30. I have to ring dad and make sure they have remembered and are on their way through to the bay. I have to ring the cake place and check the cake is ready, ring the venue decorators and check they are going to be there at 8am to set up the hall, I have to ring Martha and remind her to grab Ruby's dress from the cleaners in Yabbie Creek for me, and lastly I have to get mind blowingly drunk because it's the last time I will be able to as a free woman" Charlie sighed hoping she would feel a little more excited tomorrow.

"Right Rubes grab the phone and a note pad, I'll go grab some wine and a bottle of water and Charlie, you sit back and relax for five minutes, lets get the jobs out of the way and then we can just relax and enjoy your last day of freedom ok?" Joey grinned before her and Ruby moved to get the bits and pieces.

With the calls made and Ruby, Charlie and Joey were snuggled up on the coach under a blanket surrounded by sweets, crisps, popcorn and wine; watching 'Imagine Me and You' after Joey had left the bay all those months ago, Charlie went through an identity crisis and Ruby had bought a load of films to help her make up her mind, this was one of them, it was about a woman who on her wedding day falls in love at first sight with her florist, their love blooms and eventually they cant deny their feelings anymore and give into temptation and kiss, the married woman flees leaving the florist heart broken, she eventually tells her husband that she's in love with someone else only to find out that the florist is on her way to the airport to leave, and if she doesn't hurry up she will lose her forever.

Ruby couldn't help put it on, it had everything she needed to try and jolt Charlie and Joey into confessing how they feel for each other, it had a woman marrying the wrong person, a secret love which couldn't be avoided forever, the importance of time running out before it became too late.

Try as she may nothing seemed to work, when the DVD finished Charlie glared at Ruby, knowing the reason she had put it on and not being amused at her.

"Joey chooses the next film while I pop to the toilet, Jo do NOT let Ruby sway your decision" Charlie threw a warning glance at Ruby before she left the room.

"Could you be a little more obvious Rubes?" Joey glared at the younger girl.

"Could you be a little less obvious Joey, you love her, your totally in love with her but your too damn scared to say anything, just tell her how you feel" Ruby whispered exasperated.

"No Ruby, your wrong" Joey stated clearly and tried to ignore the voice in her head that screamed Ruby was right and she should listen to her.

"I am not wrong! Look me in the eye and tell me you're not in love with her!" Ruby sat straight on the couch, staring directly at Joey, daring her to try and lie again.

"Yes alright, I'm in love with her, but I heard what she said to you this morning, I'm not going to ruin her future, Angelo is a good man and he obviously loves her and can give her a lot more than I ever could, not stop pushing it Ruby, just let us do what we have to do for the right reasons" Joey snapped almost angrily.

"But its not right Joey, you both love each other, that's all that matters surely, love!" Ruby snapped back, she was sick and tired of the two women skirting around their feelings.

"It didn't matter last time did it when she slept with Hugo so why the hell should it matter now!" Joey threw at Ruby a little too loud, upon hearing a pained gasp she turned to see Charlie stood in the room looking at her with pain etched all over her face.

She tried to call out her name but it was too late, Charlie had gone. She had run from the house in a flood of tears.

"Look what you've done Rubes, you couldn't just leave it alone could you" Joey glared at her, she felt terrible for what she had said, she certainly didn't want Charlie to hear it.

"No Joey, look what you've done, get up of this couch right now and go and find her, tell her how much you love her because if she marries him tomorrow she is going to be miserable and that's going to be your fault!" Ruby snapped at Joey, moving into her bedroom and slamming the door, she quickly leant her ear against it, smiling triumphantly when she heard Joey mumble angrily a few curse words before she stomped out the house.


	18. Chapter 18

**A.N. - Well here is chapter 18, six more chapters to go after this one, im sure your all wondering if Charlies gonna marry Angelo or if Joey will steal her away, or even if Angelo will step out of the competition... who knows what will happen, this is after all Summer Bay so Joey could go away for 3 months to never return and Charlie could move on with Angelo and end up living with him... nah even thats too far fetched!**

**Enjoy the Chapter and make the most of my good mood coz there will be another one on its way today :)**

**AL x**

Chapter Eighteen

"I didn't mean it" Joey stated as she looked down at Charlie, a few minutes later she was sat next to her on the sand looking out over the sea that she loved so much.

"It was true though, I'm so sorry for doing that Jo… I was a total bitch" Charlie sighed.

"Yeah you were, but I have forgiven you for it, it's in the past let's just leave it there, we've moved on, were both happy now right? And we're friends, and tomorrow your going to be marrying the man of your dreams and live happily ever after" Joey forced a smile to her face.

"I haven't forgiven myself though, how could I do that to you" Charlie stated bitterly.

"Charlie, it's in the past, let it go, please for me let it go" Joey begged.

"You know I would do anything for you, I love you Jo" Charlie admitted, shocking herself at how easily the words flowed from her mouth.

"I love you too Charlie, I always will, but you need to let this go and move on, let yourself be happy" Joey took her hand in her own.

"Do you still… Joey I need to know before I marry Angelo, are you still in love with me, is there any chance at all that we could make this work with us?" Charlie felt her breath hold in her throat as she glanced at Joey who looked shocked at being asked such a direct question.

Joeys mind raced at the speed of light, what the hell should she do, should she tell the truth and ruin everything for everyone involved, but at least it would give her Charlie back, they could try and make things work, be a happy family like she had always wanted, her, Charlie, Ruby and the baby, but what if things went wrong again, she didn't think she could ever forgive Charlie if she cheated again, or what if they just weren't meant to be together then all the pain and suffering her answer would cause would have been for nothing, her mind made up she swallowed the lump in her throat.

She turned to Charlie and looked deep into her beautiful eyes, she felt her heart melt as she fell into them.

"Charlie Buckton, from the first moment we met I knew I loved you, I fell so deeply in love with you it scared me, you built me up and made me a stronger person than I ever was before. I owe so much to you, and even though we both made mistakes, I do still love you, I love you for so many reasons I cannot count them, I'm sorry… I'm just not in love with you anymore, I have moved on from us" Joey forced herself to keep the eye contact; she tried to dull the voice that screamed angrily inside her, telling her she was a coward and a liar.

Charlie let the tears flow freely, her heart shattered into pieces so small they would fit through the eye of a needle.

"Thank you for being honest, that was all I needed to know, and I love you too Jo, more than you'll ever know" with that Charlie rose and walked away a shattered woman, she entered the house and made her way into Ruby's room, finding her sitting on the bed waiting excitedly.

"Please God tell me you are dumping that idiot and running away with Jo, she told you she's in love with you didn't she" Ruby bounced excitedly towards Charlie expecting to be enveloped in a hug, she watched in confusion as Charlie walked straight past her and collapsed on the bed, dissolving in tears.

"Charlie what happened" Ruby asked full of concern and confusion.

"I asked her, I begged with her to tell me that she was still in love with me, she couldn't she looked me straight in the eye and told me that she's over me" Charlie sobbed into the pillow.

"Charlie she was trying to protect you by telling you what she thought you needed to…" Ruby was cut off by Charlie's glare.

"Please Ruby, just leave me alone for a while, I need some space, I'm sorry I just cant be with anyone right now" Charlie dumped her head back on the pillow leaving Ruby looking hurt, stroking her hair softly as Charlie sobbed uncontrollably, Ruby was furious, she kissed her head lightly before moving to the door.

"I love you mum, I'm here when you want to talk, just call me" Ruby glanced towards the bed and saw Charlie's head nod between the sobs. Ruby stormed from the bedroom straight into Charlie's room, she noticed Joey's items missing, she rushed from the house in search of the other woman, instantly worrying that she was going back to the city.

"Hey Ruby, if your looking for your friend Jo she's on her way to the caravan park, she was a little upset, everything ok?" Miles asked as Ruby literally bumped into him at the diner, nearly causing both of them to fall on the floor.

"Thanks Miles, you're a life saver" Ruby threw over her shoulder as she ran in the direction of the caravan park.

She eventually caught up to Joey as she was unlocking the van that would become her new home.

"What the hell have you done" Ruby yelled angrily, Joey flinched, turning to see Ruby's angry glare a little nervously, since her encounter with Robbo any form of attack unnerved her.

"Ruby please, just go home and look after Charlie" Joey pleaded, she felt horrible, she had lied to the woman she loved; she watched her heart break infront of her eyes.

"Charlie doesn't want looking after, she doesn't want to see anyone Joey, how the hell could you look her in the eyes and lie to her like that!" Joey didn't think she had ever seen anyone so furious. Not even Robbo had yelled at her like that.

"Ruby you don't understand, its better this way, Angelo is better for Charlie in everyway" Joey tried to fight the tears but lost.

"Don't you dare stand there and cry Joey Collins, you had your chance, your chance to get everything you both wanted back and what did you do? You threw it in her face, you completely broke her heart Joey, she is completely devastated and worse, you just ran away from her leaving me to clear up your mess" Ruby hissed angrily.

"Its better this way, she will get over it soon enough, tomorrow she will be Mrs Rosetta and her world can get back to normal, without me in it, she deserves so much more" Joey stated sadly thinking she was right.

"You know what Joey, your right! You don't deserve her, sure she may have cheated on you but at least she had the balls to give things a go with you, even though it scared her shitless she went for it, it may have gone arse over tit but at least she fucking tried your nothing but a coward…. Charlie does deserve better than that, she deserves someone who will stand up for her, someone who would love her and care for her and not just walk out on her again. You know what Joey, stay away from my mother, I don't want you going anywhere near her and upsetting her again" Ruby threw Joey an angry glare before turning on her heel and storming back to the house to console a broken Charlie.

Joey collapsed on the floor, her whole body being consumed by sobs, Colleen rushed over having witnessed the whole thing, she pulled Joey to her feet and helped her inside the van, moving to make her a cup of tea whilst Joey sat sobbing into the distance, Colleen felt her own heart break as she glanced at the broken woman sat infront of her, she finally understood what she and Charlie had shared.


	19. Chapter 19

**A.N. - Well here's Chapter 19 and i have to say, its not looking good for CJ is it? looks like Angelo will be getting married to Charlie after all! **

**Thanks for all the reviews that are coming in, this one isnt a very long chapter but sometimes, as a wise person once told me, good things come in small packages!**

**So here we are, the morning of the wedding! and still five chapters to go! Hands up if you think its all going to end in tears?**

**Enjoy and keep those reviews rolling in!**

**AL xx**

**Chapter Nineteen**

Ruby rushed back into her bedroom and found Charlie still crying on the bed, she kicked off her shoes and climbed on beside her, she wrapped her arms around the taller woman and just held her, not saying a word, just being there for her.

Charlie woke up; it felt like she had been in a fight with a bulldozer as she sat up in the bed. Leah was stood smiling at her.

"wow Charlie you must be starving, you slept all night, I've made you some brekkie, the hairdresser is going to be here in twenty minutes so we better get moving" Leah clapped her hands, there was nothing she loved more than a wedding.

Charlie rose from the bed like a zombie; she glanced in the mirror seeing the state of her face she frowned.

"I'm going to ask you this one last time, please don't just say yes Ruby blah, blah, blah, think about it first, if you say yes after thinking then I promise I will be the most supportive daughter known to man" Ruby wrapped her arms around her mother, hugging her tightly, she peered over her shoulder, their eyes meeting in the mirror.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, it's not too late to call it off" Ruby's voice was almost pleading.

Charlie fell silent for a few moments, a million thoughts rushing through her mind as she gazed at her daughter in the mirror.

"I'm sure, I want to marry Angelo today" Charlie forced herself to say, she wanted to scream no and cancel the wedding but her mouth had a mind of its own, her head was telling her it was the right thing to do, that once the day was over everything would be ok.

"well in that case, lets go and get some breakfast, then I'm going to help turn you into the most beautiful bride the bay has ever seen, come on mum, baby steps, before you know it the day will be over and life will get back to normal" Ruby knew that Charlie needed her support, she knew that she needed to be strong for her.

"Thank you Ruby, you're the best daughter a girl could wish for" Charlie smiled sadly at her in the mirror; Ruby took her hand and dragged her towards the kitchen to eat.

Colleen entered the van to see Joey sat in the exact same place she had left her the night before, her heart went out to the poor girl, she put the kettle on and sat down opposite her, watching her intently, her face was completely stained with tears, her clothes a crumpled mess, she was sat holding a small knitted beanie in her hand, fidgeting with it almost nervously, every breath she drew was a sorrowful sigh.

The kettle boiled and Colleen poured two cups, she took them both back to the small table and perched on the end of the seat.

"I know I'm probably the last person you want to talk to, I know my big mouth is the talk of the town, but Joey love, please talk to me, its not healthy to sit here like this, you have a little one to think of too… anything you say to me is in complete confidence, I swear on my Lancie's life I will never tell another soul" Colleen placed her hand on Joey's softly.

"I've lost her, I looked into her eyes and told her I wasn't in love with her and she believed me, I broke her heart" Joey sobbed.

"Wow Charlz you look hot" Ruby grinned at her mother in the mirror, she was only wearing a white strapless bra and a white slip. Her hear was pinned loosely to the back of her head, long curls trailing down her back. Her make up was flawless, making her look even more radiating than normal.

"You think Angelo will like it?" Charlie forced a smile before grabbing her champagne glass and downing the entire contents to calm the voice in her head screaming at her to not do this.

"I will everyone who see's you will love it, you look gorgeous mum" Ruby smiled, seeing the tears form in her eyes she grabbed a tissue and rushed infront of her to dab away the pools of moistness.

"Don't cry, your gonna ruin your make up. This is what you want, your going to walk down that aisle and marry the man you love, then your going to get drunk and dance with your daughter, laugh at dads terrible jokes, and then your going to come home and everything will be just like it was before, no biggie, its just one crazy day then its all over" Ruby soothed almost mantra like.

"What would I do without you" Charlie smiled softly.

"No soppy speeches, come on we need to get this dress on, half way through the day now, the hardest part is almost over" Ruby smiled warmly at her in the mirror, Charlie nodded to her, Ruby grabbed the dress and they began to put it on, each knowing that she was making a huge mistake.


	20. Chapter 20

**A.N.**

**Well here's chapter 20! Four more chapters to go... who thinks they know whats gonna happen, hands up? I wanna hear your theories... come on, speak up!**

**Enjoy and if there is enough reviews, i will consider posting the next chapter today!**

**AL x**

Chapter Twenty

"I don't understand love, if your in love with senior constable Buckton, then why did you tell her that you weren't" Colleen asked confused, she didn't understand this whole modern love thing, when she was a young girl, you met a boy fell in love and married.

"Because she deserves a normal life, I can't give her that, nothing about me is normal, I can only make things worse for her, she deserves better than that… better than me"

"It didn't seem to matter to her before, I know I was easy and quick to judge, but even I could see that you two truly cared for each other, isn't love the only thing that matters?" Colleen smiled softly as she handed Joey a fresh tissue.

"its too late now, any minute now she will be married to Angelo and everything is going to be too late, I have ruined everything, I should never have come back" Joey sobbed.

"Joey love I'm sorry but your right, I really must go and get ready for the wedding. Can I give you just one piece of advice first, if you truly love her and she truly loves you, it will never be too late, just the perfect timing. Listen to what your hearts telling you, listen to your head, decide which one is making more sense and just go with it, I'll pop round and see you when I get back after the wedding, please try and eat something love, your going to wither away…and Joey, take it from someone who lost the love of her life a long time ago… time is precise and shouldn't be wasted away, if you love her, she will understand" Colleen smiled sadly at Joey before leaving to get changed.

"Well look at my darling girl, what a sight for sore eyes" Ross cooed as he entered the room followed by Morag who gasped.

"Do I look ok?" Charlie asked, flattening her dress with her sweaty palms for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes.

"Darling you look radiant, your mother would be so proud to see you, marrying a fellow officer, looking like an angel, I'm so proud of you dear" Ross grinned, his frown showed when Charlie didn't return his grin.

"Everyone out the room, you too Ruby… I need a word with my daughter" Ross pushed everyone out the room; he shut the door and stared at Charlie.

"You don't want to go through with it do you?" he asked almost sadly

"No I do, I just… dad everything is so messed up" Charlie sobbed; Ross grabbed the tissues and rushed to his daughter before the tears spilled down her face and ruined her make up.

"Come, sit on daddy's knee and tell me what's going on" Ross smiled as he made his way to the bed and sat on the end, he motioned for Charlie to follow him.

Charlie made to sit on the bed until Ross cleared his throat and patted his leg, Charlie rolled her eyes at him but he just smiled.

"Humour an old man, let his little girl sit on his lap for the last time before she really is too old for it" he smiled sadly, his grin growing when Charlie perched on his knee.

"Now tell me sweetheart, who is it?" Ross asked quietly.

"Who is what?" Charlie asked confused.

"The person you're having feelings for which are stopping you from wanting to get married" Ross smiled knowingly.

"Have you been talking to Ruby, I'm going to kill her" Charlie frowned.

"No sweetheart, you're my little princess, do you think I can't tell when your hurting, come on tell me everything" Ross smiled.

"Her name is Joey" Charlie started, she glanced at her dad expecting a reaction, instead he just nodded, motioning for her to carry on.

Joey sat in the dark trailer, she sipped at her cold cup of tea, she felt sick, she imagined what Charlie was doing right now, wondering whether she was happy as she got ready, she imagined her smiling happily as she posed for the photos, preparing to become Mrs Rosetta, the name resounded around her head causing her to want to throw up. She moved onto the cold bed and curled into a ball, sobbing uncontrollably until she fell into a slumber.

"Is she ok?" Ruby asked as her sister forced a smile at the camera, pretending to be the happy bride that she was meant to be.

"She's fine, she told me about Joey, I told her that she was crazy, but she was lucky to have someone as loving as Angelo who actually wanted her, I think she's a little more ready to get married now" Ross smiled at his youngest 'daughter' even though the secret was out the bag about Ruby's parentage, he would always think of Ruby as his youngest.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Ruby snapped quietly so not to alert everyone to their conversation, she forced a smile when Leah looked at her questioningly, she smiled and waved at her showing that there was no problems, Leah turned back to the bride.

"Ruby, if Joey doesn't love Charlie and Angelo does then maybe she should marry him, if he can love and provide for her, protect and comfort her then she should be happy with him, love will come in time" Ross smiled knowledgably.

"Dad, seriously! is this one of those moments that you have no idea who you even are?" Ruby almost whined

"What do you mean?" Ross asked gazing at Ruby; she never made comments like that about his illness, she never laughed at his jokes about his illness.

"Joey does love Charlie, she's completely in love with her but she's got it in her head that she's not good enough for her, that's why she said she wasn't in love with her because she thinks it's the right thing to do for Charlie" Ruby stated exasperated in a harsh whisper.

"Well if she thinks that then maybe she's right, she'd be the best person to know" Ross smiled at Ruby as she threw her hands in the air.

"Dad, if you ever get to see them together you will see… when Joey's around Charlz lights up, it's like she is this different person, so happy and confident and cheery her smile brightens the darkest of rooms. All Joey has to do is enter the room and Charlie just radiates this love out, I'm telling you right now, I know Charlz better than anyone else, we have no secrets anymore and I'm telling you dad, she is crazy about Joey and Joey is crazy about her, they are both just too damn stubborn to give in the fight and allow themselves to be together, dad they are made for each other!" Ruby felt her own tears threaten to flow.

"Is that true? Does Joey really make Charlie feel like that?" Ross asked surprised, he had never imagined his little girl to be the kind of girl to fall madly in love with someone.

"Dad they are soul mates, the only person Charlie should be marrying is Joey, and if Charlie goes ahead with this, she's going to be miserable and lonely for the rest of her life, I dunno if I can watch her go through that" Ruby felt her heart break at the thought of what her mother was about to give up.

"We need to tell her to speak to Joey!" Ross whispered turning around to find Charlie and take back his earlier advice; he searched for all the people that were around them just minutes ago to find them all stood by the end of the drive waiting.

"Were too late" Ruby frowned as she watched the car holding Charlie pull away at the end of the road.


	21. Chapter 21

**A.N - well here is chapter 21... 3 more to go after this one!**

**Gonna dedicate this one to my two favourite people, they know who they are ;)**

**AL x**

Chapter Twenty One

"Listen to me, you get to the church and you stall, do anything you can, if you cant stall anymore then you walk Charlie down the aisle, I have someone I have to go and see" Ross announced as he jumped into Morag's car and sped away leaving everyone speechless.

"Where is Ross going?" Morag asked full of worry.

"Oh… err… the cake woman just phoned… there is a problem with the cake… yeah… he's gone to get it fixed, he doesn't want anything to ruin the day for Charlie" Ruby was impressed with her believable lie.

The next car pulled up at the house, it was supposed to be taking Ruby, Leah and Ross.

"Morag, you get in with us, I will just be two seconds, I have lost my…. Speech… it's in my room" Ruby dashed away before anyone could protest, she stood in her room watching the clock on the wall moving slowly by.

Leah rushed into the room a few minutes later, glaring at Ruby who was stood still in the middle of the room.

"Ruby what's going on, were gonna be late!" Leah asked worried.

"I can't tell you" Ruby frowned.

"Ruby… spill right now" Leah warned when she saw the concerned and frantic look on the younger girls face.

"Dads gone to talk to Joey, I have to stall the wedding as long as I can while he tries to make her see sense, its no use talking to Charlie, she's given up on herself" Ruby frowned.

"Ok, we cant hold the car any longer, here's the plan, you grab Charlie's sewing kit and throw it in the bag, if anything is asked, you say that it's a prop for your speech, leave the rest to me" Leah smiled, she hoped to hell Ross could talk Joey around before it was too late.

Joey jumped when the knock on her trailer door woke her, she rose, wondering if Charlie had ran away to be with her, she laughed at her stupidity, opening the door she came face to face with a stranger, a man she had never met before.

"Good afternoon, am I to believe you are Miss Joey Collins?" he smiled warmly at her.

"Yeah I am, sorry who are you?" Joey asked taking in his smart suit, she recognised the eyes; something in them was familiar.

"I'm Ross, Ross Buckton, Charlie's father, it's a pleasure to meet you Miss Collins, would you mind if I came in for a quick chat" he flashed his best smile at her, almost in awe Joey moved to the side to let him past, she blushed when he glanced around the van seeing the state she had left in it in after just one day.

"Is Charlie ok? Has something happened?" Joey asked in panic, wondering why Charlie's dad would be there.

"I need to ask you something, please answer me truthfully, are you in love with my daughter?" Ross looked her straight in the eye, she had only ever seen that look from Charlie, but his look was practised, mastered one could say… there was no way she could lie to him.

"Yes sir, I'm sorry but I am in love with Charlie, very much so" Joey confessed lowering her head in shame.

"Well Joey, if that is the case why are you sat here moping and not out there telling my little girl how you feel about her before it's too late?" Ross smiled sadly at her, he could see she was troubled, her eyes told him of the haunted past she had even if Charlie had not informed him earlier.

"I'm sorry sir, but Charlie is better with Angelo, he can give her much more than I ever could" Joey replied sadly as she nervously wiped away her lone tear.

"Joey why are you doing this, why are you causing yourself all this pain so that Charlie can get married today to someone else" Ross asked full of confusion.

"Because sir, the most important thing to me is Charlie being happy, I just want her to be safe and happy and that is more important than my own feelings. Angelo can give her so much that I cant, he can give her money, a nice house, children, a picket fence and a dog, I cant give her those things, the things she deserves" Joey felt the tears flow freely.

Leah screamed as she stepped from the car, Charlie whipped round to see Morag and Ruby rushing to her aid, she rushed outside to see what was going on. She gasped in horror when she saw the large rip across the seam of Leah's dress.

"Its ok, its fine, we can fix it. Morag could you go and tell Angelo that we are having a dress problem and fetch Nicole out please" Ruby smiled towards her step mother.

"Don't worry Charlz, it'll fix easy, Nic is a legend with a needle and thread" Ruby grinned.

"Where's dad?" Charlie asked suddenly noticing his absence.

"He had to run an errand" Ruby smiled with a shrug.

"Run an errand, I'm getting married what's more important than that!" Charlie shrieked as she saw Nicole and Morag rush outside.

"It's a cake thing, I will explain later just trust me ok?" Ruby smoothed as she rushed to meet Nicole.

"Fix the dress as slow as you can!" Ruby ordered quietly when she met Nicole, Nicole threw her a confused glance but Ruby just winked at her with a soft smile.

"I'm sorry Leah but your gonna have to get out the dress, I need to be at the inside of the seam to fix it" Nicole smiled at Leah with a wink.

"Ok, can someone grab me a coat please" Leah shouted up.

"Oh is this really necessary?" Charlie wined wondering what the hell was going on.

"Charlie I'm sorry, wedding or no wedding, I am not standing out here in my lingerie for anyone!" Leah tried to sound as earnest as she could causing Ruby to giggle a little.

"Its not funny Rubes, my wedding is turning into a bloody shambles!" Charlie snapped at her.

"Charlie chill, Leah's out of the dress and Nicole is fixing it ok? Everything will be back to normal in a few minutes, just take deep breaths" Ruby hugged her mother hoping to calm her nerves.


End file.
